Destiny of the Heart
by anyabar1987
Summary: Karone wasn't abducted, Andros is in Cryo Zhane is... As kids Karone and Zhane liked each other more then friends until Zhane went missing. Can they ever be together? please read and review I worked on this for a year
1. You need to trust each other

_**AN: The language that follows is a real language. I did not create it; I am borrowing it from AH/AY, who started using it for her Kerovian language.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Power rangers. I actually only own the plot but that can be questioned so let us stop there.**

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Destiny Of the Heart

Karone bolted straight up in bed as she recalled the dream she had just had. No, it wasn't a dream—it was real; it was a memory… To be precise about it, it was a combination of both her memory and her brother's memory. Why, she thought. Why had she ever let Andros share a direct memory of her best friend being taken away?

As she thought of her brother, a tear rolled down her cheek.

She had seen Zhane taken away in her own mind, even though she had not been present that day. She had been sick in bed with a high fever, as she had been for the entire week before. When she thought about the fever, she remembered that even at the age of six, Zhane had cared for her. He wasn't like most boys at that age, scared of girls and the stupid girl germ they called the Avara.

To think the last time she had actually seen him was in a fever's delusional state. She remembered him saying something to her, but to this day she still didn't know what he had said. Maybe she couldn't remember because of grief from what he had told her the last time she could remember seeing him, before the dreaded memory she had had.

"Karone?" A voice emitted from the walls, a relief from her thoughts. "You wished to be notified when the high members of the UAE began to gather for the annual meeting on the Sumerian planet."

Karone stood up and straightened her uniform before drying her face and walking out of her room. Heading to the launch bay, she walked past the table where she had left her food the night before. She had eaten late and fallen asleep on it, so she had just gone straight to bed. Running up the platform, she jumped into the white tube.

Arriving on the Sumerian planet, she hid her glider and slipped a black cloak over her Ranger suit, which from her yellow neck guard down to her toes was completely white, not counting the markings on her chest. She slipped on some black gloves to cover her hands. As she walked about, she encountered several villains she recognized and others she didn't. Divatox and Rita were fighting over something, which didn't surprise her.

What _did _surprise her was seeing Ciarán Bevan there. She had thought only the high warriors, agents, and sorcerers were allowed in this meeting. She got her answer when someone near whispered that he had come of age and Dark Specter felt that Ciarán could handle running one of Dark Specter's wars on his own. A second rumor told her that should anything happen to Dark Specter, Ciarán would be in command. Gee, she thought, he must have done some really evil work to be Dark Specter's heir at the age of seventeen—assuming that the rumors were to be trusted.

As she had hoped she would, she gathered much new information. However, in the end, she was caught when she didn't drink the juice with the others. She should have known, but one, she thought it smelled bad; and two, she couldn't eat anything with her Ranger mask in place. She ended up running back to the ship as fast as she could.

Karone got there only to find four strangers onboard. Standing in the doorway of her command center, she gasped at them. They were walking all over her command deck and DECA was letting them. She tried to think of what her brother would do if he was in her place. It took her only a minute. Of course he would run and get to a place that was safe for him that he could defend himself from.

However, that wasn't her. She liked to go face on with her prey. She raised her arms after getting their attention and powered down, while cursing DECA in Kerovian. She didn't know if it was her curses at the computer or the fact that she demorphed right in front of them like that.

"Whoa, the White Ranger is a girl?" The one in green walked towards her, just slightly.

She stared back at him for a minute. _Of course I'm a girl, isn't that what it usually means if the Ranger suit has a skirt? Some of the females might go around dressed in the men's uniform, but I have never seen a females outfit on a guy. Is he stupid?_

The boy in red walked forward. "Hi! I'm TJ, and what's your name?"

_I want to answer; they seem nice enough. But… Andros would already be mad if he was here and had he seen the move I took,_ Karone thought. _Maybe… I can still find out if they are honest… I'll pretend I don't speak their language. That wouldn't be a lie; I do speak other languages, including evidently their own. Let's see if they are skilled in Kerovian._

Karone gave them a strange look and said, "Ní thuigim bhur teanga."(_I don't understand your language.)_

"Huh?" the girl in pink asked, looking at Karone. "Is that your name?"

Karone looked at them again. _"Do they not understand even word of Kerovian?"_

"No, Cassie. By the look she gave us, I don't think she understands us." TJ looked at Karone and smiled. "Let's try this again." He pointed at his chest and said his name, slowly sounding out the letters, "TJ."

Karone smiled. _"Finally we're getting someplace."_ Pointing back at TJ, she said, "Tá do ainm TJ?" (_Your name is TJ?)_

She pointed back at herself. "Tá mo ainm Karone." (_My name is Karone.)_

Cassie smiled and pointed at herself. "Cassie."

Karone nodded and responded with a smile. "Cassie."

Then, looking at the others in the room, she pointed. "Céard tá bhur ainm?" (_What are your names?)_

"_They might not understand me, but I understand them. Maybe this way I can learn something from them. Besides… this pointing like an idiot game is fun. If I do decide to keep them around to help, I will never let them live it down."_

The girl in yellow smiled and said her name while pointing. "I'm Ashley."

Karone nodded and repeated the name. "Ashley." She turned and pointed again to the other three. "Cassie, TJ." When she got to the boy in green, she gave him a questioning look.

The boy in green smiled at Karone and pointed at his chest. "My name is Carlos. I think Karone is a beautiful name, just like you are." He stepped closer to her.

Karone let her eyes go wide in surprise. _"Is he hitting on me? He doesn't even know me."_

"Tá tú duaislúil bheith ag cliúsaíocht le mise?" she yelled. (_Are you hitting on me?)_

She reached out and smacked him on the face.

Ashley smiled. "Carlos, I think you should stop now. It appears she just rejected you."

Carlos backed away, rubbing his face. "How do you know? Where she comes from that could mean yes."

"Oh yeah, then body language would also have to have different meanings—she sure looked angry." Ashley smiled, already liking Karone.

Alpha walked over to Karone and greeted her in his mixed up babble. Karone cocked her head to the side.

"Oh… ah, that's Alpha. He got sort of banged up in the event that forced us here. His speech ports are fried," TJ said. He smiled ruefully. "Like you would understand me."

Karone looked at Alpha again, then at TJ, "TJ,tá sé briste?" (_Is he broken?)_

She knelt down and opened Alpha's access port. After looking inside for a minute, she responded, "Smaoiním dhéanfainn iarracht ar ag cóiriú sé." (_I think I can fix him.)_

She stood up and walked out of the room, coming back with a small toolbox a few minutes later. Kneeling down again, she started playing around with a few of the tools and replacing some computer chips.

Ashley and Cassie just watched. Karone apparently had just offered to fix Alpha, realizing from his babble that he was broken. As they watched, Karone started to ask Alpha questions. Each time she did something, his voice changed and got clearer, but he spoke in her language.

When finally Karone was satisfied, she stood up and set the tool box up on a console. Alpha did a little dance and ran over to the Earth Rangers. "I can be understood again, yippee!"

Ashley stood up and looked at the girl she hoped would accept them. "Thank you, Karone! We weren't sure if we could ever get him fixed."

Karone walked back to the small group and spoke. "Níl aon taifeadadh dar dáta a glór aosta agam, amhlaidh tú seo an mhórchuid de mo saothar." (_I don't have a recording of his old voice, so this is the best I could do.)_

TJ looked at Alpha. "Do you understand her?"

"Of course, TJ. She speaks a version of Kerovian. The planet KO-35 is an ally of Eltar so, naturally, I was programmed to speak their languages. She just simply didn't have a version of my old speech card or a recording so she did the best she could."

Ashley looked at Alpha and asked, "Could you ask her what her mission is?"

Alpha looked at Karone and then back to Ashley and the others. "I don't need to ask. I know what her mission is; it is to protect her people while serving in this war that sprang out between the UAE and the allies of Eltar."

"Could you tell her that our mission is almost the same and that we should work together, because we sure need the help?" Cassie asked.

Alpha did. Karone thought for a moment before she responded. "Tá mé ní cinnte tá ár misin cosúil go leor, ach dhéanfadh sibh iarracht obair in éineacht. Má sibh fonn a bheith or cuidiú, cuirimid tús le cuidiú le cóirigh sin, deirim sibh, tú cuibheasach simplí. "

"She said she's not sure your missions are similar enough, but she will try to work together for right now. If you want to help, you will assist her in repairs that she thinks you can handle." Alpha translated for them.

All of them began nodding except for Carlos, who was leaning against a bulkhead, just watching as he had been since Karone had hit him. After a minute, he stood up straight and said, "Fine!"

Karone smiled and left for a second, returning with a larger toolbox and a small flat rectangle. She headed to Alpha and whispered some instructions to the little robot.

Alpha turned to Carlos. "Carlos, will you assist me? Karone wants some items from the cargo bay."

Carlos nodded reluctantly and followed him.

Karone lay down and slid under a console. She started poking around. "Thabharfá mé an micriríomhaire léasar, TJ?" (_Can you hand me that microlaser, TJ?)_

TJ started picking through the toolbox she had brought in, not totally sure what she was asking for. After he had searched for a few moments, Karone poked her head out from under the console.

"Not that tool box. The one I used to fix Alpha with." She covered her mouth with a grimace; she had forgotten the rules of her own game.

Ashley and Cassie opened up the toolbox she had said and handed the tool to TJ, who took it and then turned around. "Wait, did you just tell us that in English?"

Karone knew she had been caught in an awkward situation. She stood up and hung her head. "Yes, I did. All this time, I understood you perfectly as would most Kerovians. We are all taught, at a young age, to speak many different languages and our native tongue is based off of many Earth languages. I just chose to speak a dialect that I heard was little spoken on Earth. I am sorry, but I didn't trust you and I was using a different language to find out if you were trustworthy."

TJ crossed his arms and looked at Karone. "Well, now you may trust us, but you for sure lost my trust."

Carlos and Alpha walked in with a huge box in Carlos' arms. Carlos saw Karone standing with her head hung. "Huh… What happened?"

"She lied to us, Carlos. She spoke English all along. We are going to be leaving as soon as we can," TJ said, glaring at Karone.

Ashley and Cassie moved to stand next to Karone. "TJ, you and Carlos can leave if you want, but we are staying here," Cassie replied.

"Yeah! Us girls have to stick up for something and we choose that we are going to stick together. After all, we have the same mission," Ashley added.

TJ turned to Alpha. "Alpha are you with us?"

"Ay-yi-yi, I hate when you guys do this to me. I'm afraid I'd have to stay with the girls on this one. The box I brought onboard with me has information from Zordon that needs to hook up to the Megaship. He intended for you five to work together. For Zordon's plan to work, the shuttle needs to stay with the ship."

"Fine, we will find another way to get home," Carlos responded.

"If you two are desperate to go back to Earth, I can take you once I get the engines working again," Karone said solemnly.

Ashley looked at her. "Hey, Karone, what happened to the ship that it's so damaged?"

"Yesterday, I was heading to a space port to pick up some supplies when I got attacked by one of the local ships of the UAE. It turned out that it wasn't the warlord himself but one of his lackey's. I was attacked by Ciarán Bevan, who had seen me on the scanners while taking his master's ships out for a joyride and I am afraid we will be seeing more of him." She paused and brought up a picture of him on screen. "He was recently relieved of his warlord's control; he is now his own warrior and has been given his own ship. He is a long way off from being a warlord, but he is nonetheless being trained by Dark Specter and his personal servant, Ecliptor, to take Dark Specter's place in a few years or so.

"You must be a wuss," Carlos laughed. "He looks like he isn't much older then we are, I don't see how someone so young can be skilled enough to do what you say…"

"You think I am a wuss? Well, maybe it is a good thing that I hit you and an even better thing that you are leaving as soon as possible. He was destroying planets at eight years old and at nine, he wounded my father's companion's leg so that he could never fight again," Karone said. She shut off the screen and turned to Cassie and Ashley. "Are you two sure that both of you want to stay here with me?"

Ashley nodded and so did Cassie, so Karone indicated that they should follow. Out of curiosity, TJ and Carlos followed the three girls as they stopped outside a supply closet. Karone disappeared inside and called them in after. When Cassie and Ashley returned, they were dressed in a uniform exactly like Karone's.

"Wow, these are so cool! So, we are officially members of the crew?" Cassie asked, spinning around in front of TJ.

"Not yet… You are missing the one biggest part of the uniform," Karone said, handing them each a wristband with a small box on it.

"Are these morphers, like the one you have?" Ashley smiled as she accepted one from Karone.

"Yes, they are morphers. Cassie, you'll be Pink and you will be Yellow, Ashley." Ashley and Cassie just smiled and raised their hands up to admire their new best friends.

"Wow, Cassie, Ashley. I guess this deserves a 'congratulations' as well as a 'good luck'. You've made another team; you must be very proud of the fact," TJ said, smiling.

"It's late, so if you would like, I will show you the rooms that you can use." Karone led the four down the corridor to the Mega lift, where she ordered it to go to the living decks. Once there, she pointed to the first room on the left. "That is my room, and Ashley, you can have the room next to mine. Cassie, the one next to Ashley's is yours."

TJ and Carlos looked around, wondering where they would be staying. "TJ, you may use the second room on the right. Carlos, you may use the third room on the right. Please try not to mess it up during your short stay here; I would prefer not to have fixing your rooms on my chore schedule."

--- 20 hours later ---

TJ sat in Carlos' room. Cassie and Ashley were doing some training drills. As far as they knew, Karone was writing reports in her room. At least, that was what she said she had to do.

"Carlos, I've been giving this some thought today, and I think that I'm going to stay. I realized that maybe I was too harsh on Karone… She was doing what she thought was right."

"Well, I don't care. I'm going to leave as soon as we get back to Earth. I think Karone is crazy; I mean, she hit me," Carlos complained, rubbing his cheek.

"Carlos, come on! We're a team and you have to admit that you knew nothing about her when you started hitting on her. For all you know, she's got a boyfriend out there, wherever KO-35 is.

"We don't know anything about her; she is closed like a book. Maybe she's the type of girl that you have to get to know before she opens her pages and tells you her story. If you leave, you'll never have that chance. Come on, Carlos, give it a chance," TJ prodded, trying to persuade his friend.

"I'm sorry TJ, but you're not changing my mind," Carlos said, climbing into his bed as TJ stood up and left.

Outside his room, he hesitated about going to his own room. Instead, he walked across the hall to Karone's room and knocked. "Karone? I's TJ… I need to ask you something."

The door opened and he all but fell in, having been unprepared for it to open so fast. He hadn't realized that the doors could open without going for the release button, but then again, he was only a guest onboard and hadn't gone through the troubles of learning all the ship's quirks.

Karone was sitting at her desk with a computer terminal open, typing something up. When she heard him fully enter, she shut it down so he couldn't see what she was doing. She was wearing a white sweat suit that bore the same insignias as the grey uniform, and her dirty blond hair was braided.

"You wanted to ask me something?" She spun her chair around to face him.

"Uhh… yeah, and to apologize for yesterday. I was out of line and I'm sure now you had your reasons saying and doing what you did. I want to tell you that I want to stay if that is what you want me to," TJ said, a little unsure of himself.

Karone smiled and stood up. To his surprise, she shook his hand. "I learn quickly," she explained. "Yes, of course you are welcome to stay onboard; it's what Zordon wants. I hope blue is alright, as my brother has the red morpher."

"Yes, of course, blue will be fine." TJ smiled. It might take him some time to get used to not being in command, but he was sure that he could make this work.

"Of course I'll give you the chance. First thing in the morning meet me at the storage closet from yesterday and I will issue you your uniforms and morpher."

TJ didn't know how to respond. He just nodded and walked out of the room with a smile on his face.

Karone stood and watched him leave. _"So he's finally going to accept that I'm in charge here. I knew from the beginning he looked like one that liked either being in charge or following another guy rather than a girl. That will change when Andros gets back, though…"_ She sighed and sat back at her desk to resume typing.

-----

The ship was fixed, finally. They were getting ready to get underway for the short flight to Earth when a blast rocked the ship. Carlos was still adamant about returning to Earth and ever since TJ had joined Karone and the girls, he had kept pretty much to himself. As the ship rocked, he just happened to be walking past the command deck where everyone else was.

When the ship shook from another blast, he caught himself asking, "What's going on?"

"I had hidden the ship while we were repairing it," Karone yelled. "I just came out of my little hole and found and Ciarán Bevan has apparently been looking for us as well. He's found us and is trying to beat the heck out of us again."

"What can I do to help?" Carlos asked, struggling to get to a console next to TJ.

"You can take this," Karone said, holding the fifth morpher up like she was going to toss it at him.

"I said no, didn't I? Anything but the morpher. All I want is to go back to Earth and forget about space," Carlos shouted.

"Take the morpher and help, or face the chances that you will never get back to Earth. The only way we can beat this thing is relying on our morphed strength," Karone yelled back. "You can always give it back after this fight is over."

Carlos took it, and as everyone else, followed Karone's lead and morphed. It took some work including breaking open the code from the box Alpha had but they did it.

After the battle, Karone walked to Carlos and held out her hand. Carlos looked at her and looked at the morpher, but put his arm down. "You guys need me after all. If you don't mind, I think I will hang onto this and stick around."

Karone smiled. "Welcome to the team, Carlos."

Alpha jumped up. "Ay-Yi-Yi, they're finally a team. I knew it would work out."

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I hope you enjoyed the story, please review for my sake I worked on this story for a whole year. Yes you hear me a whole year of off and on the back burners 


	2. learning to get along

**Challon86:** Who says I am going to reveal who Ciaran is?

**Phantom Rogue: **I like Karone as a ranger a lot as well. I even gave her her own color.

**2Die is 2 Live:** Got a couple chapters before that happens so just sit back and enjoy his little sister.

**Halliwell Corbett: **I know I felt she would hand'e trust issues a bit more differently then her brother would have

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Destiny of the Heart

Karone had the four of them training. Carlos had finally accepted just a few hours ago, and become part of the team. Their last run through with Ciarán had been their first with him fighting on his own. She knew he would soon become a pain in the rear end, so she wanted to be ready and sure that this new team could handle it.

She noticed one thing: though Carlos had accepted the morpher, he was having trouble following her lead. She didn't know if it was because she was a girl or because she'd hit him, but every now and then, she would lead an attack on the simulation they were fighting and he would fail to follow through.

After the simulation was over, she took off her helmet. "Carlos, what was that out there?"

"Your moves were weak. I was going for holes that I saw in the enemy's technique," Carlos said, taking off his helmet and putting it under his arm.

"Carlos, that's not the reason, is it? Your moves were often stupidly placed and threw off my calculations. I may be a girl, but face it: I have lived in space alone for the last two years and before that, I had been trained for this since the day I was born. So, please do not judge me incompetent, considering Ashley told me that you guys were chosen for the power about a year ago."

Carlos looked at her and felt a little stupid. "I'm sorry, I guess I need to work on it a bit. I am just so used to following TJ."

"Yes, you need to work on it. Next time that could be real, and when it is real, there aren't resets because of a mistake." Karone said, glaring daggers at him. She could tell he still had little respect for her.

A few hours later, Ashley found Karone on the command deck, with a mug in her hand. She was looking through some charts or something. Ashley felt something that was almost like this girl was a little sister to her. They had become good friends in the last week and Ashley almost felt like she had known Karone her whole life. Karone had revealed that all her life she had never had an older sister. Through her training, she looked up to her brother or her mother but now she had been alone for two years, with only the ship's computer to keep her company.

"Don't you ever go home, Karone? Doesn't your family miss you?" Ashley asked, making her presence known. As she knew, she would Karone rolled up the charts and looked at her.

"No, I don't. There is nothing for me there anymore. Not until this war is over. Two years ago, the war reached a peak and it sent everyone from KO-35 fleeing for their lives. Except for a few, they all live in refugee camps. I could search for my mother and father, but do you know how many camps are out there?" Karone explained.

"You said you need supplies? We could go to Earth to get them. NASADA most likely has what you need. And while they are getting the supplies, you can hang out with us on Earth for a bit… Everyone needs to get out every now and then." Ashley smiled.

Karone picked up her mug and took a drink. As she sat down with the chart she was holding, she said, "I will think about it. We do need the parts and my normal space station is too far away."

"Okay. Hey, by the way, what is it that your drinking? I don't think I have seen anything with that color that wasn't artificial or just colored flavored sugar added to water." Ashley pointed at her mug.

"Well, it's natural, if that's what you are asking. At least, it would be if it wasn't from the synthatron. It's fearr pritil toradh sa cruinne." (_The galaxy's best fruit punch.) _Karone smiled. "Or in English, it's a form of fruit punch, made from the best fruits found all over the galaxy. It was really popular on KO-35; everyone drank it. Want to try some?"

She handed the mug to Ashley, who carefully took a sip. Ashley started coughing. "Yuck, I guess it is an acquired taste or maybe my taste buds are just too closed to the taste of a fruit punch made from fruit I have never even tasted before."

Karone laughed, "Maybe… I'm a little hesitant about this thing TJ is always bragging about called soda. Is it any good? He said if we went to Earth, I would have to try it."

"Yes it's good. Just be careful, some of them are so loaded with a substance called caffeine that if you aren't careful you could end up not sleeping for a week," Ashley laughed.

"What is caffeine?" Karone asked, screwing up her face as she said it.

"Oh, it's a stimulant that some people call a drug, which is highly addicting and gives you bursts of energy. People live on it to get them through the day." Ashley explained.

"People think a twenty-four hour day is long, they should try to live through a twenty-eight hour day without the stimulants. We've been doing it for the last one hundred and fifty years without stimulants; they're viewed as primitive and were removed from all normal drinks. If you have a high demand job, you can request a small supply to get you through a long night, but it is strictly monitored," Karone said.

"Really?" Ashley asked, shocked, "No stimulants, that's interesting. I couldn't imagine going all the time without my morning pick up, although it has been interesting this last week. I'm surprised I am still standing."

Karone laughed. "You should probably go to bed, then, because we will have a long day tomorrow. I'll be down myself very shortly. I just have to run a few scans to make sure Ciarán Bevan is nowhere near the ship."

Ashley nodded and walked out of the room. When Karone was sure she was gone, she pulled something out of her shirt. _"Okay, Andros… Let's see if that dream I have been having is accurate. I hope the data on this disk reads right."_ She pulled a mini disk out of her locket.

Placing the disk in the player, she waited for a minute as it loaded and revealed two children playing. There were two boys playing: one was wearing a red jumpsuit and the other was wearing a grey and black outfit with silver highlights. She remembered that jumpsuit and not just from the dreams; he had been wearing it that morning when he came by to give her a get well card. She would have been out playing with them that day if it wasn't that she had come down with that high fever a couple of days before.

The two boys were playing with a ball while practicing their telekinesis. All was fine and well until the ball spun out of control. The boy in red, who just happened to be her brother Andros, ran to get it. It was going to be his turn to push the ball if it hadn't spun away. When he got back, he looked around the spot where they had been playing. "Zhane? Zhane where are you? I don't find this funny; you know I don't like Hide and Seek anymore."

He stood there calling his friend for a few minutes before running off to go get someone to help him.

As the video ended, Karone leaned back in her chair and sighed. Her dream memory and the information from the data disk were one and the same. Why did she have such a knowing lately of that fateful day? It hurt her so much to know that she was promised to him. Her parents had decided, when she was very young, that she and Zhane were perfect together and they had been right because she felt something between them. She knew they were more than friends even at the young age of four. She thought Carlos was handsome but he would never understand that she had already given her heart away and that her love was reserved for someone thought dead.

Sighing, she pulled the disk out of the drive and stood up. It was high time she got to bed. She had to be rested in case Ciarán threw another curve ball their way, as TJ liked to say. Whatever a curve ball was…. On her way to her room, she drained the mug and threw it into a recycler so DECA could reuse it.

-----

What Karone didn't know was that the darkness was lurking right outside of sensor range and that Ciarán Bevan already knew of her plan to take the Megaship to Earth.

"So, the White Ranger is going to Earth, is she? Well, this will be perfect even if she did give morphers to some of the leftovers from Divatox's attack? If they fell at Divatox's hands, do they think they can stay afloat when they see my powers? Divatox thinks she is such a powerful pirate but little does she know she is weak. She just barely managed to destroy the Rangers' power, not to mention she was unable to take the planet," Ciarán announced in his cocky, evil voice.

"Sire, a ship is docking with us," said Ecliptor, his servant and personal trainer. "It reads as being one of Divatox's."

Looking annoyed, Ciarán turned around from where he was, staring at the view screen. "What does that pirate want with me?"

"Apparently not much. They dropped something and just left," Ecliptor said, reading the reports.

Ciarán turned and looked at two Quantrons, who were guarding a door. "Bring whatever they dropped here to me." He paused briefly. "That is, unless she dared a bomb. If that's the case, have it destroyed and pursue. Actually, regardless of what they dropped, send a squad of velocifighters; I want to see her run." He smirked as he watched his very own foot soldiers walk out. It was good to be in charge, finally, although he would miss stealing his warlords' ships for some fun.

It was not long before two Quantrons came in, pushing an all too familiar bumbling creature with them. He rolling his eyes as the foot soldiers pushed him onto the floor at his feet. "Uhh, hey buddy, you never answered me when I asked for a turkey sandwich on rye with extra peanut butter."

"What are you doing here?" Ciarán scowled at him.

"Anything you please, I am just a humble servant of Dark Specter." He bowed. "I just don't do windows."

"Quantrons! Throw him out the hatch immediately," Ciarán ordered.

"Wait, Auntie D told me that Dark Specter transferred me to your ship," the white, egg-headed mutant said.

"Really? Well, if that is true, then Quantrons take him to the dungeon for some of our team's initiation training with Scrudly."

The Quantrons nodded and started to pull him out.

As soon as they had him removed from the room, he spoke again. "Divatox told him Dark Specter sent him here huh? Then why do I smell a rat? Get Divatox on screen, I need to clear some things up."

Ecliptor nodded and pressed a few buttons on the console. Divatox's face appeared. "What do you want, brat? If you want to talk to me then call off your velocifighters. I won't talk if I am dodging training lasers from your foot soldiers."

"First, don't call me a brat and second, you will talk even if my Quantrons have you targeted. I like them out there that way. If you say anything stupid, I can toast you like this." He snapped his fingers. "Now, you will tell me why you just dropped that annoying worm of a henchman you used to have. Did you get tired of having him always messing up your plans? So you decided to drop him with me because you are mad that Dark Specter put me on the job. Well, guess what, tough cookie. I am not letting him mess my plans so, thanks to you, Scrudly has a new play toy and you can just stuff it and head back to your little hole and never show yourself again." He then cut communications and ordered the fighters to chase her out of his space.

Ciarán turned around as his Quantrons walked back in. "Is our new friend having fun?"

The soldiers nodded and took their place by the door.

"Good, now set a course to follow behind the Rangers' vessel, but stay out of their sensor range!"

Ciarán smirked and walked out of the room down the hall to his room. He pulled the chain that he wore out from under the lightweight armor that he wore on board and broke it.

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Well Shorter chapter, unfortunately this is going to be the length of most of the chapters but that isn't always a bad thing is it? Please read and Review 


	3. first trip to Earth

**Halliwell Corbett: **Yup I am gonna keep you guessing.

**2 Die is 2 Live: **Thanks im glad you like it

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Destiny of the Heart

The Rangers were working on some repairs with Karone guiding them when Alpha called out from Command that they were approaching Earth. This of course drew some excitement from the former Earth Rangers. All except for Carlos ran off immediately to get ready. Carlos slunk around.

Normally, Karone would storm off, but she allowed this just once. She had to at least try to give him the benefit of the doubt, and maybe, one of these times, he would get the clue that she wasn't interested.

"So, Karone, you ever been to Earth?" he smiled.

"No, never, I have never had the need; in fact, very few Kerovians ever have the need to go to Earth," Karone responded. At least he wasn't getting as close as he had threatened the last few days and he wasn't referring to her in endearments.

"What? You have never been on Earth? Oh, come on, you're going to love it, then." He smiled and ran out, eager to join the others in getting ready. Well, as ready as they could get with their only Earth clothes in rags.

Karone stood there and thought, _"Somehow, I believe I'm not so sure on that front, if all the boys are like you and TJ. If my people were home on KO-35, you would have a rude of awakening there."_

----

A few hours later, after going down to Earth and changing into their respective colors of Earth clothes, they were walking into the Surf Spot. Ashley had taken Karone with her to get some clothes from her house, so Karone was now wearing a white shirt and a long denim skirt.

"Why are we here?" Karone asked, looking around. "I thought we were going to get supplies."

"Well, we are, but we need to eat," TJ said, going over to a table and taking a seat.

Everyone joined him except for Karone, who walked around and looked at the things on the walls. All was fine until she examined the surfboard that hung on the wall. She tapped it, trying to see what it was, but it ended up falling off the wall.

A woman ran up and put it back up on the wall. "Oh, we had a runner," she laughed.

"Excuse me, but what is it?" Karone asked.

"Are you telling me that you don't know what a surfboard is?" The woman looked at her. "What planet are you from?"

"Huh? Oh, I am from KO-35. Did you ever hear of it? I was told no one on Earth knew it existed." Karone smiled.

"Oh, a smart alec," the woman laughed as she walked off.

"What's a smart alec? My name is certainly not Alec." Karone went up and sat next to Ashley, partially because it was the only seat left at the table and partially because it was the seat the farthest from Carlos.

-----

Later that day, they were walking out of a store. They had talked to NASADA anonymously, and they had taken the list of what they needed, but there was some stuff they were getting from regular stores.

All of a sudden, Karone stopped and listened. This caused Ashley to turn and look at her. "Karone is something wrong?"

"We're being followed," Karone whispered as she looked around.

"Are you sure, Karone?" Cassie looked around as well. "I don't see anything."

"You won't. The foot soldiers Ciarán uses aren't yet among us but they are trailing us. There is a certain tingle in the air that you will learn to notice just before they attack." Just as she said that something fired at them. "We need to morph!"

"Not here, too many people will see us," Carlos said, looking around for a safe spot. "Over there, no one will see."

-----

Ciarán was watching. "Drat those Rangers, I can't seem to surprise them." He paused for a minute. "I have to think smarter, not harder." He then turned to Ecliptor. "Ecliptor, I want you to do me a favor: go down and see these new Rangers' abilities. I want to know what they are capable of, although do them a favor and hold back, make them think it's all you are capable of. Fight only hard enough so you could beat them if you tried but don't slaughter them, not this time. This time I want to see what they can do."

"Of course, sire, I will do my best to serve you." Ecliptor took his sword out and knelt before Ciarán.

"Yes, Ecliptor, you will. You have been a good trainer to me; I would hate to see you lose your life in an accident." He said this in a way that would make anyone with a right mind shudder.

-----

Meanwhile, the Rangers were successfully fighting off the Quantrons when something hit them causing them to fly backwards. "Karone, what was that?" Carlos yelled as he was hit.

"I'm not certain, but I have a feeling we are going to have to work as a team to finish whatever it is," Karone yelled back. She stood up cradling her arm briefly.

"Shame, shame, White Ranger, not knowing who I am, we have only met on the battlefield several times," Ecliptor said, materializing.

"Ecliptor! But I thought you had resigned to only teaching your ways to other members of the UAE… And we have never faced each other in person; the White Ranger you fought was my mother," Karone yelled.

"Oh, really? Oh, yes, that's right; you got the morpher thrown at you the day your planet fell because your mother didn't think she could handle another long battle as the one we gave your planet that wonderful day of your fourteenth birthday." Ecliptor sneered.

"So did you come to just harass us or are you here to fight?" Ashley yelled back.

"Oh, I came to fight; be prepared to die."

"Not today, Ecliptor, that is not on our list of things to do." Carlos stepped forward and summoned his lunar lance for the first time in real battle, and everyone else followed him.

"I don't care about your rookies. You're mine, White Ranger! I will see to it that you eventually fall the same way as your former teammates. Do you remember them crying out in pain after they were captured during the battle? Now, I understand it was a young untested rookie that was fighting to save the people of KO-35," Ecliptor taunted her.

Karone hesitated for a minute, before charging through her new teammates. "Ecliptor, what do you want? I will never be scared of you. I may have been untested that day and yes, it probably was a bad move, but if it had been my mother, she would have fallen right into your trap," Karone yelled. She hit him with her moon mallet repeatedly, but was slaughtered equally in return.

All of a sudden, there was another blast.

"Ecliptor, enough! I said you were there to learn how each of them fought, not single out the white one."

All the Rangers stopped what they were doing to find a most unwelcome sight behind them. It wasn't certain which of the Rangers murmured his name in partial astonishment to meet their foe up close, but at least two of the former Earth Rangers said, "Ciarán Bevan."

Ciarán was wearing his armor. However, he was wearing it without sleeves as it was mildly warm and he knew he would overheat if his sleeves were on. In place of his armor sleeves, he had chain mail sleeves that reached from wrist to elbow. This revealed to the Rangers two well developed and highly muscled arms. And on his left arm was this large tattoo.

The tattoo covered a good portion of his arm. The design was of a dark background with a dark red center that had a vague resemblance to Dark Specter, and scattered around it there were symbols that represented the UAE and Dark Specter.

"Welcome to my war, Earth Rangers! I was originally feeling generous today, in only letting Ecliptor taste your skills, but now I think I am going to make Ecliptor grow." He grinned evilly, before calling back to have someone fire the sati-lasers on Ecliptor. As Ecliptor grew and Ciarán started to disappear, he said, "Good luck, Rangers! May you lose and forever be my slaves."

Calling on the Astro Megazord, they easily won this round. However, they knew they weren't always going to be so lucky in ousting Ecliptor that easily. Going back to the ship, they all sat around the bridge talking about what had happened.

Carlos looked at Karone. "What did he mean by past team? Did you have another team before us?" he asked, sort of angrily.

"No, not I. However, my mother and father did. My mother had made the decision, as the war broke out that morning, that my training was complete and that I should take her place on the battlefield. She wanted to run with my father, who had given his morpher up a few months prior to my older brother. Well, during the war, Ecliptor and a few others set a trap that my parents team fell into. They were expecting the White Ranger as well, but they had no idea that the morpher had been passed on. My mother would have surely fallen for the trap wanting to save her teammates. Well, I watched as they executed everyone from my mother's team. They tried to get me later, but my brother saved me and then we went our own different ways to keep the planet safe," she explained. She held back from them as she told the story, deciding they were not ready to hear the full tale.

"Do you see your brother?" Cassie asked looking at her.

"Well, yes and no. He doesn't see me but I see him. We made the decision that we would fight separately… I guess we haven't mutually talked in two years, but I think of him often and I hope that one day, he will come here and help us out if we need the help." Karone sighed.

That night after they fell asleep, she would go see him but she didn't want them to know just yet: TJ and Carlos were only just starting to trust and respect her space; how would they handle the fact that she had almost killed her big brother?

----

Later that night, as she planned, after seeing that all four for them were sound asleep, she stole off the living decks, wrapping her sweat suit around her as she pressed the panels in the engine room. As she pressed the right one and it started to open, she felt the temperature drop.

She walked into the room and laid her hands on the glass box that was inside it. Looking at the Ranger costume underneath, she felt a tear fall down her cheek. She wanted the others to know, but if they knew it would cause her to lose the one place she had onboard where she could be alone with her thoughts. This, for the last two years, had been her brother's room, and she hoped that someday he would wake up on his own. She sat down and looked up at the container again before bowing her head in tears.

_The battle was just about over, and they were losing. The rest of their team was gone. Andros had just recently realized that the White Ranger fighting was his little sister._

_Just as she heard him yell, she looked up to see a monster ready to blow her to smithereens. She tried to duck, but before she could, she saw a shadow fly in front of hers. Her brother had taken the hit that was intended to kill her. The monster ran and she rolled him over to find that it had missed the killing zone on his chest. He was alive, but she didn't know how much so._

_Staying in her morphed form, seeing as it was the only way she could carry her brother, she knew what she must do to save him. Picking his larger form up, she carried him awkwardly through the streets towards where the Megaship sat._

_Laying him on the bed part of the cryo unit, she demorphed and, with tears rolling down her cheeks, she lifted his helmet enough so she could see his face. She stroked his face and whispered in his ear, "Andros, it's going to get really cold in here in a little bit, but brother, don't be scared. It will help you. Just let the cold take over you, it's a good cold." She kissed his cheek and could have sworn his eyes cracked open slightly in pain as she put his helmet back in place. She knew she wasn't imagining it, though, when his fingers moved slightly as she moved to put the lid down. _

"_I'm sorry, Andros," she cried._

Karone looked up and touched the sides, letting her fingers draw designs in the condensation as she thought the same thoughts she thought every time. _"You were partially awake when I locked you in there, weren't you, Andros? You must hate me for what I have done."_

It was then she smiled and thought a different thought. _"If one of our new teammates saw you like this, I know how he would respond, Andros. He has a queer since of humor. He would look and laugh saying, "look, it's a Ranger under glass"… He would say it, not knowing how fierce of a warrior you have the potential of being. If only, Andros, you were conscious and could tell me your thoughts, big brother… I have missed having you to talk to and I am, at least, glad now we have teammates so I can tell my thoughts to others even if they don't understand my heart like you do."_

Realizing the time, she stood up and wiped her tears. If one of the others had gotten up for something and crossed paths with her, how would she explain the tears? Then she thought forcefully, so that her thoughts might be picked up by her brother; every time she tried it thinking cryo-stasis might have the same principle as someone in a coma and they could hear, but she had never gotten any sign back from him no matter how hard she tried. _"Andros, I will come back soon, you just keep trying to get better. I am not going to tell the others about you just yet but I can't tell for how long I can keep you a secret."_

Removing her hand from the stasis unit, she backed away.

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Hope you enjoy it please review 


	4. Love is in the air

**2 Live is 2 Die: **Karone is about to be happy in this chapter

**star-dreamer09: **Thanks I have tried my best to keep role reversals acurate and yes things are gonna get interesting with Ciaran around as you will see in this chapter

**Phantom Rogue: **Andros still has a bit of napping left, you should know that being my beta hehe

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Destiny of the Heart

Ciarán Bevan and Ecliptor stood on a hill in the park. They had been fighting the combination of Earth Rangers and the White Ranger for a while now, and they were going to train in the open air for once. It was a nice day; chilly, but nice. That is, until Ciarán spotted Karone walking alone in the park. "Ecliptor, have you ever felt that when you look at one of you enemies that they seem familiar?"

"Yes, of course sire, all the time. It's the fear in them; it's always the same." Ecliptor raised his sword. "You ready to begin now, sire?"

"No… it's not fear. I can't remember a time she truly feared me, the White Ranger, I mean. She looks familiar in another way—like I knew her as a child." He then looked to his mentor. "I want to get close to her; maybe I can find a way to destroy her. She is a powerful warrior and I need to find her weakness."

"Be careful, sire, her appearance could be a trick. Remember when you woke up in Dark Specter's personal lair after you were rescued…"

"I remember surely enough. You don't need to remind me of the event that claimed my memory; I have been told so many times the story is boring as heck. The Red Ranger killed my entire home village and anyone I cared about. Scouts have confirmed that over and over. I just want to see what makes a Ranger tick, consider this an experiment." Ciarán started to walk out of the concealed spot when Ecliptor stopped him.

"Sire, you can't just go out there, she would attack the minute you showed your face."

He gazed towards where the White Ranger was sitting on a small slope, gazing at the partially frozen man-made river that drained into a small pond. Ciarán thought the place must be beautiful in the spring and summer with water birds swimming in the waters and flowers blossoming along its banks. Once he conquered this pathetic planet, he would keep those gardens for his own pleasure. Ecliptor had to agree with him that he could be quite romantic at times. Of course, as much as he thought of Ecliptor as a friend, he would never give the creature the chance to disagree with him.

"Oh yes!" he gasped, looking at himself. "How is this?" Ciarán asked, waving his hand in front of himself. His armor disappeared and he stood dressed in Earth clothes. "Could I pass as an innocent Earth dweller dressed like this?" He paused and looked at himself. "Oh, how do they do it dressed like this? They must freeze."

"Sire, I believe the White Ranger is wearing a coat over her Earth garments. And you may want to do something about your hair; I don't think too many people go about with the combination of electric blue hair with silver highlights."

Ciarán glared at the black and green servant and master swordsman.

"I'm sorry sire, I should know better than to contradict you. I will see to it that it never happens again."

"Yes, if you want to keep your life, much less your place of honor in my army, you will learn when to shut that mouth of yours," Ciarán hissed as he waved his hand over his head. "Now, should I go with a light brown? Or maybe this, I believe it was once considered my natural hair color. I found it much too boring, though, don't you think?"

Ecliptor just silently watched his master change to look like an Earth dweller.

"My natural color, as boring as it may be, is a fairly rare coloring even in the galaxy that she may have seen it somewhere and will recognize me. So I think I will go with a light brown. You may answer me now, Ecliptor," he stated.

"Sire, I think it looks very well on you. It is a fitting color on you and I think if the White Ranger has any brains at all she will be head over heels for you, I believe is the saying…" Ecliptor stopped as Ciarán raised his hand.

"Ecliptor, that's enough. Now, what else am I missing… Oh, yes. You said something about a coat." He waved his hand again and he had a brown leather coat over his black tee-shirt. "There, I think I look presentable for this charade and it even fully covers my most identifiable markings," he announced before telling Ecliptor to return to the Fortress to wait for him to return.

Walking down towards the White Ranger, he stood several feet away and leaned against a tree. "It must be a beautiful sight when everything's not so… dead around here," he murmured softly, but it was enough to get her attention.

She stood up and smiled. "I don't think it's dead, just sleeping. Watch, you'll see if you come back by here in a couple months, it will be the prettiest place in town." She then looked at him. "Do I know you from somewhere; are you from around here?"

"Unfortunately, I'm not, just visiting family that we don't often visit," He smiled a slight smile. _"She sure seems to be falling for me… but I am starting to worry. I think I am falling for her; no, I must resist it. We are enemies."_

"Oh, so you are visiting for the holidays? And let me guess, you felt the house was too small and overstuffed with people so you came here to get some air. What's your name, by the way?" She grinned and sat down near, him inviting him to do so.

"Oh yeah, I guess you could say that. My name is uhh… Shawn." He thought quickly. "What is yours?" He sat down next to her and gazed at the river.

"I'm Karone. I know, everyone says it sounds weird. So Shawn, do you spell your name S-H-A-W-N or S-E-A-N?" she asked with a small smile before blushing and turning away.

"_What does she mean?"_ he thought. _"Could this be a trick to try to get me to reveal who I am?"_

"Oh… uh… I spell it the first way," he decided.

She laughed. "Good! I never understood how S-E-A-N could sound the same as S-H-A-W-N; it just never made sense. Some people are just weird, don't you think?"

"Oh… ah, yes, it does sound weird." He smiled. Shoot, she was so beautiful. He thought he had to pull the plug on this, but he just couldn't. She was just too addicting; he was going to get in trouble with Dark Specter if he ever fell for one of the Rangers, unless of course, he could conquer her and make her his personal slave…

Now that would be something, feeling for a slave whose only purpose was to bring him pleasure. No, he couldn't do that, he thought, letting his emotion get the best of him for the first time in his life. That would be like caging a unique bird, and he knew that if you cage a unique bird or any animal, it would die and there was no chance to find one like it again.

Karone looked at her wrist and gasped. "Oh my goodness, I have to get back. My friends, oh, they are going to be wondering. Will you meet me back here about two tomorrow? Is that good for you? I would love to spend some more time with you; you're not like anyone I have ever met." She stood up and held out her hand to help him up.

"Sure, I think two is good for me." He nodded. With the sane part of his mind (or what he called sane), he had a half-hearted idea to ditch her.

However, he knew no matter how hard he tried to ditch her, he would be back by her side at two. He felt something for her that he never felt for anyone Dark Specter had ever tried putting him with, and he found it almost despicable because it made him feel warm and fuzzy—the two things he had been taught to avoid in his training.

Karone walked out of sight and Ciarán watched till he could not see her anymore before going up the hill into the hiding spot from earlier. There he transformed back into his armor. Upon returning to the Fortress, he stalked to his room and threw himself onto the bed.

Elgar walked in about an hour later and nervously addressed him. "Uhh, Ciarán, Ecliptor was wondering if you were back on the ship because you had not yet made your presence known," he said stupidly, rubbing the back of his egg shaped head.

Ciarán sat up from his daydream. "Oh. Uh, what?" he asked, momentarily dazed before realizing who was bothering him. "Of course I am here you, nitwit! Now leave my sight this instant or I will make you play with Scrudly again. I know how much he enjoys it."

"Okay, I am leaving. No need to lose your temper with me, sire." He slunk out of the room before bolting back to the throne room as fast as his clumsy feet would take him.

Laying back down, Ciarán closed his eyes. It was times like these that he wished he had a real human friend who would respect him, and he didn't mean the space witches that were always chasing him around. All they ever wanted was something personal from him and never wanted to just talk like Karone did. They never felt the need to goof off like it seemed Karone could do. That, he realized, was what he missed in life. He wanted that more than to conquer the galaxy.

He let himself sulk for another hour before standing up and straightening his armor and calling Ecliptor in.

"You called, master?" His servant bowed and knelt before standing up.

"Yes, I did. I want to put on hold any and all plans of conquering the Rangers; learning about them is going to take more time than I wanted and if we attack now, it might just ruin it all." Ciarán turned away and brought off the shelf his chess set, fingering the pieces that represented the Rangers. "For now, in the battlefield but off of it, it will be me and the prissy White Ranger," he said, moving his piece and the White Ranger to the center of the board. As he did that he thought, _"No, you're not prissy at all, Karone. You are the sweetest person in this galaxy, how come we have to be so different?"_

"As you wish, Ciarán." Ecliptor bowed again and walked out of the room. After he was sure Ecliptor was out of sight, he sat at his computer terminal and searched the databases for any intelligence that had ever been gathered on Karone. To his surprise, there was a whole file on her likes and dislikes gathered from a spying mission. Even more to his surprise, there was a picture of her demorphed. Printing out the picture, he stuck it under his pillow so he could look at it as he lay in bed later. Of course it would have to be moved when his servants fixed his room in the morning.

Reading down the list of her likes, he thought maybe there was something he could get her for tomorrow when he saw that she loved chocolate covered fruit. Maybe he could leave a bit early and check out in town to see if he could find her something. He had a small bag of Earth money that one of his nim-wit henchmen had picked up somewhere and given to him in case he ever needed it.

-----

"Hey, Karone," Ashley called out as she entered the rec-room at dinner time. "I've been looking for you all afternoon."

"Oh… ah… I have been in my room thinking." Karone blushed. "Could you give me some tips on Earth dating customs?"

"What… for?" Ashley questioned.

"I think I like someone on Earth. But I have no idea how dating or even talking to a boy is done on Earth. On KO-35, it is very formal and done initially under parental supervision."

"Do I know this boy?" Ashley prodded for more information.

"I don't think so; he is from out of town. He didn't exactly say where, though, but he is here for the holidays with his family. His name is Shawn, spelt S-H-A-W-N." She smiled and blushed.

"Oh? You have it bad," Ashley teased and the other Rangers walked in. "Come to my room after dinner and I can help you out."

Karone nodded and took her seat at the table while Ashley served everyone, seeing as it was her night to prepare the meal.

-----

The next afternoon Ciarán stood in the same place where he told Karone he would meet her. He was already dressed as Shawn and holding the box of chocolates when Karone walked up the path. She looked nervous and he wondered why until he recalled what he knew of Kerovian culture. "_Shoot, she is Kerovian. This must be extremely awkward for her, meeting with me alone when she doesn't even know me._"

"Hello." He greeted with a huge smile.

"Hi, umm, you're early," she said, ducking her head and smiling shyly.

"Oh, uhh, yeah. I got these; they are some of my favorites. I was wondering if you would like to share." He held out the box to her and smiled in his mind when she gasped.

"You like these as well? I absolutely love them!" She tentatively took one from him and smiled before biting into one at the same time that Shawn put one in his mouth.

He smiled and laughed as the juice ran into his mouth from inside the chocolate. Karone smiled and looked at him as he informed her, "Sorry, it's been a while since I had one of these and I can't remember them tasting this good."

He lied to her, though she couldn't know that he had never actually eaten these before. Nothing he had ever eaten had ever tasted this good, but then again, all his servants were mutants and if they even ate normal food, they didn't have very good tastes. Maybe, he thought, he could get Ecliptor to look into hiring a better cook for him.

"Do you want to stay here in the park or walk around town?" Karone asked, grinning slightly. "I'll show you the cool places to hang out."

"Umm, how about we stay here for now? I kind of told my parents I would stay close to the park. They are so worried about me, this town is so much bigger then my hometown." In actuality, he didn't want to risk anyone recognizing him, but that was another story.

They spent a couple hours sitting there, talking and laughing. It wasn't till Karone's morpher beeped close to six that she realized what time it was.

"What was that?" Shawn asked.

Karone thought briefly. What did the other say when their morphers went off in public? "Oh, it was just my cell phone, but I know what it was for so I am not going to answer it. I have to go shortly, almost dinner time, but by me not answering we can have a few more minutes if you like."

"Actually, if it is that time I should probably get going also. Do you want to do this again tomorrow?" he offered.

"Tomorrow I am busy in the afternoon. Do you think we could make it late morning; we could go get lunch somewhere?"

"Alright, I like that idea, I think." He laughed as he stood up, holding his hand out to Karone. She stood up and they walked their separate ways.

Once Ciarán was back on the Fortress, he went straight to his room to find his dinner waiting for him on his desk. Sitting on his bed, he sighed. Was it a good idea to agree to go into town with her?

He decided he was just being silly. If Karone didn't recognize him, then how would anyone else? The idiotic Red Ranger had not been seen since the fall of KO-35 and other than him, she had been the Ranger who had fought him the longest.

Standing up, he poked at his bowl of mush, for that is what it looked like to him that evening. He left it untouched as he turned away to drag out the small box where he had hidden Karone's picture. He ended up shoving it back into place as Ecliptor walked and saw his dishes untouched.

"Sire, you must eat," he commanded. "Your body requires that you eat in order to keep functioning."

"Ecliptor, have you ever tried to eat that? It is tasteless and just simply looks unappetizing. You know what I want? I want a cook that can cook something other than this, and if I can't have that, then I want a synthatron like some of the newer ships have."

"I will look into it for you. I knew we could only satisfy you for so long with this kind of food. You are human, after all; you need something other than this, something that will give you more enjoyment. Please at least eat this tonight and I will get on getting you what you desire." Ecliptor bowed.

"Yes, Ecliptor, you will, if you know what is good for your honor," Ciarán growled from where he stood and pointed to the door, indicating that if Ecliptor wished to leave with his life intact, he had better go now.

As soon as Ciarán was certain that Ecliptor was gone, he grabbed the box and pulled out the picture. He went over to his bed, where he flopped down staring at her beautiful face.

-----

This went on for a few more days. While he was pleased that Ecliptor had come through and procured a synthatron for him, which now delighted him to no end, as he could eat what he wanted when he wanted it, Ciarán started to realize he had to be more careful.

Everyday he was spending more and more time with Karone, and that meant less time on the Dark Fortress. People would start to wonder about his loyalties shortly. He, as promised, had not initiated an attack and that was bound to start turning a few heads. Not to mention, how long could he actually pull off the "I'm visiting family" line? How long did this stinking holiday last?

It was during one of his extended visits with Karone that he knew everything would soon turn upside down. He was walking in the park with her as they normally did and her morpher went off. As usual, she used the cell phone line and ignored it. After beeping twice more she had no choice but to walk away and answer it.

When she returned, she quickly hugged him and told him that she had to go, that it was an emergency. Once she was gone, he checked to make sure no one had sent anything down. It checked negative, so he returned to the Fortress. He had been prepared to betray Ecliptor if it was a monster.

-----

That evening, he lay curled up on his bed, looking at the picture of the White Ranger. He sighed as he traced his finger gently around her lips and gazed into her eyes. He had been doing that for the last half hour. _"How long can I keep playing this charade?"_ he thought. _"I want it to end, but then again, I enjoy your company and wish we could go on forever. You have taught me things I never even imagined; if it weren't for our destinies, I would surrender all just for you. How I wish I could make you mine."_

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Please review, the next chapter won't come till I know all my readers are on board cause some big stuff is gonna happen 


	5. Awakened

AN: Ok so here is the 5th chapter. I was going to wait till a few of my other readers reviewed but I can't wait any longer. I can't do this to you people so here you go chapter five. I know a few of you will be happy with what goes on in this chapter.

**star-dreamer09:** yes Karone can really distract Ciaran although she doesn't know who she has fallen for. but Ciaran is definitly feeling the destraction.

**Jeremy Shane: **Here you go, the next chapter

**2 Die is 2 Live:** Thanks and no problem. I'm glad you liked it. I loved writing a love sick Ciaran cough I mean Shawn.

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Destiny of The Heart

What had really happened?

In the engine room, Ashley ran diagnostics. She didn't hear a door open or close; all she knew was that one minute she was alone and the next there was a red Ranger—whose suit was very cold—on top of her. She did not know where he came from, only that he was successfully holding her to the ground.

She struggled against him, trying to figure out how he got on board with out DECA knowing, and how it seemed she was the only one to get attacked by him. In the middle of this, she remembered Karone had said that her older brother held the red morpher, but that didn't answer her question of why he was lying on top of her in a cold power suit.

He kept calling out in a language she had heard Karone speak in a few times. The word she identified as "sister," as Karone had called her her sister in the tongue.

"Hey, hey," she cooed softly, "if you get off me I will get Karone. I think we are both very confused right now but if you keep screaming you will have TJ and Carlos down here and they are like my overprotective big brothers. You might not want to deal with them after messing with me." She realized if they came in they would find her in this very awkward position and would take it as a threat.

He didn't let up, though, so she tried again. "Please, I am Karone's friend. If you let me go I will get her. I know where she is and I think she will want to see you, so could you get off of me? I can't exactly reach my communicator with you lying on me in this fashion."

It worked, somewhat. He at least took the pressure off of her upper body and only pinned her legs down. Ashley brought her morpher up and beeped Karone's morpher. When there was no answer, the red Ranger growled, "You must be a liar as well as a trespasser."

"No please, trust me here on this one. Karone usually does this when she is out, it's not safe to answer. She is among civilians that don't know that we are Rangers. We planned that if any of us were in town we would beep three times before we had to answer, that way we could have time to get away from civilians."

He stared at her as she beeped Karone's morpher a second time. "I don't recognize you; what part of the colony are you from that you would be chosen to hold onto the morphers?"

He was taken with her, she could tell, even though she could hardly make eye contact with him, but the only thing Ashley could think of was getting him off of her legs. He shook his head. "Did you say she was down with civilians that didn't know she was a Ranger? You actually let her hang out with people she very likely did not know? How could you be so irresponsible; she is barely fourteen! It's bad enough that the colony was partially against her getting her morpher when she did because of the war."

"One question at a time, please." Ashley paused, trying to smile at him. "I am not from anywhere on the colonies. I'm from Earth. You know, I believe Karone told us that KO-35 is a transplant colony from Earth." She beeped again and this time after a few seconds Karone's voice answered. Ashley told her just to hurry up and get her butt to the engine room.

That is what Karone did and before Ashley could count to three, Karone was running in the door. She stopped cold when she saw who was sitting on top of her friends lap.

"Andros!" she gasped, more shocked than anything. "You're awake… and sitting on top of Ashley…

"Could you get off her? I sort of need her to be able to use her legs if we ever had to fight today." Karone knelt down with a smile and carefully undid his helmet, and then planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "I have waited the last two years for this, brother."

"Karone… two years?" he gasped, his deep brown eyes flicking to meet hers.

"Yes, Andros. I am not fourteen anymore. I turned sixteen about four months ago. It was just before Zordon was captured and the Earth Rangers joined me and have been my companions."

Andros got off of Ashley's legs slowly. "There is a ton that you are going to have to fill me in on but first need to change. Is my room still—"

"Your room is exactly as you left it, brother. You go to your room and I'll bring up a new uniform for you and we can talk in privacy there." Karone stood up and offered her hand to her brother and he stood up. Ashley smiled and stood up as well.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Andros. My name is Ashley and I am now the yellow Ranger." She found him quite handsome when she was able to look at him face to face, eye to eye, and not through a Ranger mask.

He nodded and smiled a slight smile. "Ashley of Earth, is that how I should address you?"

"Uhh, you can if you really want to. My name is Ashley Hammond and you can just call me Ashley, or Ash if you want; everyone does." She blushed looking at him.

"Alright, I will keep that in mind." He walked out after Karone. When Karone turned left to go to the supply closet, he turned right towards the living deck. As he walked along still in his Ranger suit, he looked but never saw one of the other three he had been told were onboard.

Once in his room, he looked around. It was all as Karone had said; his room was exactly as it had been left before being called down to the fight… the fight that evidently put his life on hold. He tried to remember what would have injured him so much that the only way to treat his injuries was cryogenic freezing, but only drew a blank.

What caught his eye was what sat behind the picture of the three children on his desk. It was a picture of him and Zhane holding onto Karone as she screamed in surprise. That night he had taken the Digimorpher out of storage. It was the one thing that helped him think about the positives of finding Zhane again. He set it down again. Karone knew he had had it in here; she should have at least put it back into its place in storage.

Karone walked in a few minutes later with the new uniform. "DECA has been keeping track of everything while you were in Cryo. She kept a record of every time you grew, even if it was only a micro millimeter. You know how precise she can be."

He accepted the clothes from her. She turned around as he demorphed and changed into the new uniform. "So fill me in on everything that has happened in the last two years," he said as he pulled the red shirt on over his head and straightened it.

"Well, how about I tell you the big things for now? We'll be talking about this till dinner." She paused and he nodded. "Alright, well… I guess I should start with the battle. That battle that placed you into cryo," she clarified. "We lost. Not completely, but enough that our people wouldn't be free if we remained on KO-35."

Andros sat quietly and listened to his sister's stories for several hours. By dinnertime, he learned that parts of Eltar had been conquered and that the Earth Rangers had lost their powers when Divatox destroyed their base. He also learned about how Ciarán Bevan had come of age and was now in charge of the Dark Fortress.

"Wow…" He blinked, taking another few moments to process that. "It sounds like quite a show has been going on. How have you been holding up?"

"I've been alright. I have had Ashley and Cassie supporting me; we have made a real girl power team, but I think having you here will be good for the guys," she said. She conveniently left Shawn out of the conversation; she knew he wouldn't be happy to know she was dating someone, even in a highly informal way.

They talked for a while until Karone glanced at the clock and realized what time it was. "Oh, Andros, we have to go—it's almost dinner time. We have been trying to make a habit of eating dinner together, seeing as the others have activities during the day. Everyone will be there, and I know they'll be glad to meet you."

Ashley stood up and greeted Andros as they walked into the mess hall. "Hi, Andros, I'd like to welcome you to dinner and would also like the pleasure, if your sister will allow me, to introduce you to the team."

Karone nodded and gave a little grin. "Sure, go ahead, Ashley. But where is Carlos?"

"Oh, he had a soccer game. I think he is showering and changing." She then turned her attention to Andros. "Over at the table is Cassie; she is totally awesome and I think you'll enjoy having her around. Over there in the kitchen with blue towel on his shoulder trying to look professional is TJ. He is the blue Ranger, and what he doesn't want you to know is that he didn't really cook what he is dishing into the serving bowls."

Cassie stood up and greeted Andros. "It's great to have you here, Andros."

TJ walked over and set the dishes on the table. "Ash, I don't know what you're talking about." He turned to Andros, "Great to see you've finally returned—now maybe Karone won't be so mopey."

Karone looked at TJ. "Whatever. I don't get mopey, and if I remember correctly—and I do—it was you and Carlos that cried your first night here." She laughed as she pushed past him and took her seat at the table.

Cassie agreed and sat in her seat across from Karone. Ashley sat down next to Cassie, and TJ took a seat next to Cassie and whispered something in her ear that caused her to punch him in the shoulder.

Karone turned around and grabbed Andros's arm. "You are sitting next to me tonight, Andros."

Ashley reached across to a bowl and dished some of the brown rice onto her plate, glaring at TJ as she started to eat. Cassie followed suit, minus the glare to TJ. After taking her share she passed it back up the table.

It was then that Carlos walked in. "Hey Karone, how did your day—"

Cassie jumped up from her seat and placed her hand over his mouth, cutting him off. "Carlos, be quiet, you know that no one is supposed to know about the secret project that you and I are helping her with." She pointed at Andros as she walked back to the table.

Andros was looking at the bowl that had been passed to him, debating whether or not he should try it. "What is it?"

Karone took the spoon from her brother and put a scoop on his plate before putting some on hers. "Andros, don't worry. You'll like this, as well as some of the other stuff TJ picked up. Just be happy that this meal doesn't include chop sticks." She passed the bowl down to Carlos, who took some before passing it to TJ. The other bowls were making their way around and people were being more selective.

Carlos looked at Andros, then at everyone else. "Hey, so, who exactly is the new guy?"

Andros turned towards him, trying to figure him out but he didn't say anything. He had always been the silent, observant type, and right now he was observing his sister's choice in teammates.

Carlos went on to say a few more things and Karone stiffened. "Carlos, do you mind? This my brother Andros, so you better shape up—it's actually his ship."

Carlos shut up quickly and went back to eating his dinner until he thought to mention to the others that Adam was in town for the holidays. He'd stopped by the gym where the indoor soccer game had been to say hi to the team.

Andros just observed the rest of the meal and when it was over, he retired to his quarters to rest and look over all the reports that had been filed since his fall. It was apparent that other than Ashley, no one knew where he had really been. One thing that surprised him was that the reports the filed were undisciplined; evidently on Earth there was no need to file progress reports, which was just automatic for a Kerovian Ranger.

After a few hours of report reading, he lay down on his bed and fell asleep with thoughts of Ashley and her laying underneath him in shock.

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Please review. I want to know what your thinking. love this chapter? Hate this chapter? Are you just not feeling this chapter? 


	6. Family Honor

**astrum-faith: **no problem, I am glad you enjoyed it

**Phantom Rogue: **Yes Andros is awake, its all good or is it?

**Jeremy Shane: **Thanks for the review : l

**star-dreamer09: **Glad you like it but what is saying that Andros and Ciaran are going to meet?

**2 Die is 2 Live: **Yes Andros is up

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Destiny of the Heart

The next day he awoke and went to command. It was the first time since his fall, but it was time for him to resume command of his ship. He went to Karone's room first, and after knocking he let himself into her room using his override code. Finding her uniform hung neatly on its hook beside her bed told him that she wasn't on board.

This angered him a small bit. _"What has she been doing for two years that she thought it was alright to just run off into unsupervised areas without permission?"_ He then remembered the others that were on board maybe they knew.

He walked onto command to find Carlos monitoring a few of the screens with the view screen displaying that they were orbiting earth. "Carlos, where is my sister?" he asked.

Carlos didn't look up. "Oh, you know, I think she's with Shawn, like she has been almost everyday for the last week."

Cassie and Ashley walked onto the deck to hear Carlos's response and sucked in their breath. The both of them had heard how protective he was of his sister and now feared for Carlos's safety. But to their surprise, Andros didn't take a piece out of Carlos. He just got huffy and demanded, "Who is this Shawn?"

Carlos looked up. "Uh-oh, I didn't just say that to you, did I?"

"You did, and whose idea is it that it is okay for my sister to run around unsupervised?"

Carlos put down the board that he was writing on. "I don't see what the problem is. She is her own person and very independent, plus she is sixteen. She doesn't need a chaperone; that is so elementary school."

Ashley gasped as Andros exploded and stormed off the deck. She told Cassie to stay and talk some sense into Carlos. As she ran after him, she called his name.

"Andros! Where are you going?"

"Going to find my sister," he said shortly. "She knows better than this. Why would you let her do this?"

"Well, for one thing, dating on Earth is a lot more informal. She's not really dating, either, because she just goes to the park and meets this one guy there. I met him one day, and he is really sweet. And if you go down there dressed like that, people will think you're crazy."

"I can't just let her go on dishonoring our family," Andros said, looking into her eyes.

Ashley sighed and led him to the living deck. There she knocked on the door to have it opened by a half awake TJ. "Sleeping in, are you?"

"I was, but only because I am not going to get much sleep tonight. My parents and I are going to an all night bonfire like we do every year."

"Well, I need a favor, Teej."

"Oh what? You better not be begging out of your chores again, cause I can't do them tonight."

"No, I don't need you to do my chores. I need you to loan Andros some clothes, so he can go down to Earth. From the looks of it, you wear close to same size."

"Alright." He turned into his room. From his dresser he found a pair of jeans and a long sleeved red shirt. Handing them to Andros, he returned to his closet and found an old jacket. "Don't destroy the pants or the jacket, but the shirt you can keep."

Ashley reached in and kissed TJ on the cheek. "Thank you for this."

Andros went to change. Ashley was faster. "Took you long enough," she commented.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I am going with you. You don't know where your sister is and you don't know much about Earth culture, I am guessing."

"I do know where she is," Andros protested. "I know how to track her position from the morphers."

"That still doesn't mean you know anything about Earth culture."

------

Karone sat on a bench near her and Shawn's normal spot waiting for him—he was late. She was just thinking that maybe he wasn't going to make it for that day when she heard him laugh at her.

He stood against the tree across from her. "Hey, why the sad face, 'Rone?"

"I didn't see you come," she said. "I was just about ready to go back home; I thought you weren't going to make it today."

"I thought you weren't going to make it. You ran off in such a huff yesterday, what with an emergency and all?" he said. "Besides, my parents needed me for something this morning."

Karone laughed and pushed him slightly. "Let's go for a walk around the pond?"

"Sure, that sounds good. I think I saw someone over there with a hot chocolate stand. My treat?"

Karone laughed as she walked off with her hand in his. And as they did so, she found herself putting her head on his shoulder and smiling while smelling the sweet smell of his coat.

"So yesterday, what was the emergency about? If you want to tell me, of course."

"It wasn't really an emergency, per se, just kind of… an unexpected happening."

"Oh? What's the difference? They sound like they are the same thing, just one being slightly less urgent then the other."

"Oh, ha-ha," she laughed. "Very funny, Shawn."

"No, really. I'm serious." They reached the hot chocolate vendor and he asked for two cups while handing the man a couple of dollars. "Do you want marshmallows or whipped cream in yours?"

"Hmm… how about whipped cream?" She looked up to him and he asked for the two cups to have whipped cream.

A few minutes later with the cups in their hands, they continued on their walk. "So are you going to tell me or not?"

"Yes, what it was was my brother made an unexpected return home. He wasn't supposed to come back from his adventure for some time. He surprised me and all our friends, I guess you could say." She smiled and reached up to wipe some whipped cream off of his nose.

"Is your brother the protective type?" he asked as he did the same to her. He knew he had to cut this off with Karone immediately if Andros was back.

He knew the red Ranger would see through his deception. But at the same time, he loved having this time and didn't want to completely break her heart.

"You could say that." She giggled.

He turned to her and looked at her with sad eyes. "Karone, I have to go. I am sorry that this has to be sudden, but I am glad I got to have this last time with you. My parents told me this morning that we are leaving this evening. I wanted to stay just a little longer, but they won't. They say we have been away from home long enough."

Karone nearly dropped her drink as she looked at him. "Does this mean we will never see each other again?"

He noticed a few tears brimming on her eyes. "Karone, I want you to remember the good times we've had this last week and a half. I know this was very short lived, but still, you have taught me so much about life." He rubbed the tears from her face. "I should probably go help them pack."

Karone stood there feeling broken and betrayed; she had felt like they were becoming more than friends. She felt like she knew him from elsewhere and she just wanted him by her side forever.

"Karone, if it was up to me I would stay here forever, I love you and I wish we could be together forever." Hugging her, he stepped away. "I will promise you that this won't be the last time you see me."

"You'll come back eventually?" she asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"I will try, just keep an eye out for me. I don't know when I will be able to come back, but I like it here more then I do my small town. This might be a small city but there are so many opportunities here."

He walked away with a kiss on her cheek as she stared out at his retreating form. She was lost in thoughts until she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was a hand that told her she was in trouble; just the feel of it told her who it was.

"Karone, what are you doing here?"

Ashley saw Karone's face before Andros did. "Andros, stop, you're not going to help matters any." She ran in and hugged Karone. "What happened?"

"He's gone," she said. "He said he had to leave, that his parents are pulling out tonight and I probably won't ever see him again. We met like usual, did our normal talk, we went for a walk got hot chocolate, and then he broke it to me that he was leaving.

She sighed. "He promised that we would see each other again but I don't know. I was really falling for him… he and I had something we both felt that we were meant for each other. I should never have gotten so close to him… I knew that he was only visiting."

Karone turned and saw the disappointed look on Andros's face. She just couldn't face him right now, so she turned and pushed past her brother. She loved him to pieces, he was her big brother, after all, and she had just broken tradition of their people.

She ran till she was out of sight of anyone and returned to the ship and her room. With the doors locked, she told DECA not to disturb her. She didn't know how long she lay there crying on her bed, oblivious to anything in her room, but she felt someone sit down next to her on her bed and place his hand on her back.

It was Andros; she had forgot that he had the master code to get into any of the rooms at any time. She tensed.

"Karone, I'm sorry. I'm just disappointed. I can't imagine how lonely you must have been. Ashley told me what she knew. You have had two years all alone, you are at the age of searching, you're just looking for a boy to keep you safe and protect you like any girl your age would do."

"You understand, 'Dros?" she said, drying her tears. Looking at him, she smiled as she saw his face smile back at her.

"Yes, and I am not going to yell at you. I think you learned your lesson, just promise from now on you will ask my permission—I'm technically your guardian. I don't want to see you get hurt." He hugged her as she sat up to him.

"I promise, Andros, I won't disgrace the family." Standing up, she took off her coat realizing how warm she was. "Andros, do you mind, I do want to get changed now."

"Oh, yeah." He stood up and went out into the hall. He knew he had to talk to Ashley again. He thought she was beautiful and felt that there might be something between the two of them, but he wanted to make it clear that they couldn't be together. However he didn't find her; Karone found him a few minutes later all changed.

"Andros, how come you're not changed?" she asked, looking at him.

"I needed to find Ashley."

"You won't find her on board. She's probably with her parents. It is Saturday and she goes home Saturday nights cause it's family night. Oh, and if you are thinking about telling her to keep her distance from you emotionally, you might want to reconsider doing that."

Andros paled as he looked at his sister. "Seira?"

"She is gone, Andros, no one knows what happened to her. She never checked in at any of the refugee camps. High ranking officials were asked to report to the heads of their camps and that included Seira, seeing as she was your promised."

"No, you have to be mistaken, Karone. I know you never liked her," Andros said, running to a console to check the lists for himself.

"I never liked her, but I wouldn't make up a bogus story about her dying just so you would break contract and shame the family, would I?"

"No… I guess not… but it's just starting to... I still can't go on and let her think that I like her," he insisted. "That just wouldn't be a good idea because—because what if this is all a mistake and Seira is alive out there?"

"What if she's not? And by passing this up, you pass up the only other opportunity you have to be happy," Karone tried to reason with him.

"I will take that chance, Karone." He sighed as he looked at his sister.

-----

Ciarán, having returned to the Dark Fortress, was in his own room again, changing for the last time from Shawn back into his armor. He left his hair still the golden shade of brown that was Shawn's and picked up the picture of Karone, He stuck that in the box. The red Ranger had returned, and he would see through Ciarán so quickly that he didn't dare have any further contact with Karone while her brother was alive and around.

Waving his hands over his hair, he changed the color from brown to lime green with dark, angry, red streaks. Grabbing his staff, he marched out into the throne room. "Ecliptor, prepare some troops; today we return to the old battle plan. I have tired of playing with the White Ranger." He turned away and looked out through the view screen, knowing that somewhere hidden from his sensors Karone was sitting probably with a broken heart. For a brief few seconds he let his mind wander and he found him imagining what she looked like as a little kid.

A smile broke on his lips as he fondly remembered her kiss on his cheek and his on hers. This thought was broken by Ecliptor reporting, "Sire, I have gathered what we could but because you haven't attacked in almost two weeks, some of our contacts that we had are now broken links. I have secured one mediocre warrior on such short notice and he should be here momentarily."

"That will do, I just want to shake the Rangers up. That and welcome the Red Ranger back to the battle," Ciarán replied. "But tomorrow I want to have as many good warriors as you can muster, we must not make ourselves look weak." He turned on his heels to go to his armory to be suited in his battle armor.

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Please read and review 


	7. Falling into place

here we go finally with Chapter 7 I am sorry this took so long

**Jeremy Shane:** thank you

**star-dreamer09:** yes karone and Andros make a good combi even when they are arguing about family honor. heh lets see how Andros and Ciaran interact

**2 Live is 2 Die:** yea poor Karone though maybe she is better off without a lying Ciaran.

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Destiny of the Heart

The alarm went off on the Astro Megaship, startling Karone and Andros, the only two on command at that time. Karone looked at the readout, and sighed. It was Ciarán with troops headed by an ugly monster. "DECA, contact the others, have them meet us in town at the battle."

DECA responded, "Ashley is already on site."

"Let's go, Andros." Karone grabbed his arm as they ran to the jump tubes.

Ciarán was standing watch as Ashley fought with his monster. He smiled when he saw the Red and White Rangers appear. For a few seconds he thought about Karone as he watched her fight; it struck him how she let her beauty show through her battle style. She was effective, but her kicks and her punches were all elegant. He caught himself and jumped into the battle separating the Red Ranger from the Yellow and White Rangers. It was his task to welcome the Red Ranger home and so he would.

"Long time no see, Red Ranger. You know you are going to pay for destroying my homeworld. I have always had my mind set on vengeance," he declared as they battled.

It didn't last long, as it turned out that the monster was extremely weak. The six Rangers returned to the ship for a debriefing before going back to their activities of the day.

Carlos looked at everyone else. "That was a brief battle, you'd think after two weeks vacation he would have a better battle plan."

TJ looked around. "He must still be working on something big and was bored so he was looking for a fun time to occupy that evil mind of his."

--

Ciarán returned to the Dark Fortress and didn't even bother getting out of his armor before marching into the throne room. "Ecliptor, that monster was pathetic! How did he ever pass any of our tests?" He screamed at all present.

Elgar peaked his head around a corner. "Uhh, Ciarán—I mean, sire, Ecliptor isn't here. He went to collect more warriors for you."

Ciarán decided that he was as irritated as he could be at that moment. "Quantrons, take him to play with Scrudly."

"No! What did I do to you?" Elgar screamed as he was dragged away.

Ciarán grinned and turned to go put his armor away when a figure in a cloak appeared before him.

"It's good to see you feeling better, my Prince. Ecliptor reported you have been feeling under the weather. I was coming through the region and decided to stop and see what could be done to assist in your conquering this pathetic world." The cloaked creature grinned through his hood, "You don't remember me, do you? Allow me to reintroduce myself, then: I am Darkonda, a humble servant of Dark Specter."

"I don't need any help, you fool, just stay out of my way." Ciarán stormed past him and went to his armory to have his armor removed.

Later he was in his quarters sitting at his desk plotting out new battle plans when Ecliptor returned. "Sire, I have returned with some very fine warriors if I do say so myself."

"Very well, Ecliptor," he grumbled as he looked at the battle plans. He looked up as Ecliptor turned to leave. "What do you know about Darkonda?"

"My prince, you would do well to stay away from him; he is as dangerous as poison. He won't rest till he takes you down as well. If he is here now, get rid of him.

"I worked with him before and he calls himself a loyal servant but he rests to destroy everything…" Ecliptor stopped as Ciarán put up his hand.

"Enough, Ecliptor. I get the picture. Leave me while I make my decision." The servant left the quarters and Ciarán pulled out a picture of him and Karone. Placing it in front of him, he stared at it. After a minute of thought he concentrated on the brown hair of Shawn, effectively changing his hair color.

He sat there for a few minutes trying to debate whether he should go to the park and see if he could find her, to say goodbye one last time. That would be a stupid idea, though, because the Red Ranger would be with her more likely than not.

His eyes focused on the necklace that she was wearing. It seemed familiar to him, somehow. It was an oval with an intricate design on it, and though he had never seen it before, he knew that Kerovian children wore a locket from the time they were a few months old.

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a locket. He had had it for as long as he could remember. It was the one thing he had with him when he had been found laying in the ruined village as a young boy. He had never really cared about it and the chain which he had broken had long since been too small and mended with a leather strap to fit on his neck. Though he supposed he could get a new chain for it. He felt drawn to the old thing now, though.

He held it in his hand, looking at it. The locket was a rectangular shape and much different from Karone's or Andros's. Theirs were golden; his was silver and unmarked, except for some scratches that had accumulated over the years. One of Dark Specters wizards had told him as a young boy that it was likely a family heirloom. He only wished he could see what was inside but the sides were fused shut from years of abuse.

Standing up, he changed his hair to an auburn red and changed his clothes to something different that wouldn't immediately betray him to the Rangers. He went to leave his quarters when he was caught.

"What do we have here?" Ciarán stiffened; it was Darkonda. He thought he had told the creature to get lost.

The alarm was now raised and Ecliptor rounded the corner to the corridor "Sire, where are you going?"

"Enough, Ecliptor, I have been sick. I am just going for some air; earlier when I was out it, helped me feel even better so I thought I would go out again for a little while." He then paused. "Why am I answering to you two buffoons? I told you to get lost, Darkonda, and as far as I know I have not answered back to you. And Ecliptor, you should know better than to question my decisions. I know what I am doing, I wouldn't have been named the head of this fleet if I didn't."

Darkonda didn't move a muscle.

"You don't question Ciarán Bevan!" He turned and beckoned for a pair of quantrons. "Discard of him in an airlock! NOW!" he ordered and the foot soldiers grabbed Darkonda's arms and removed him from sight.

Ecliptor remained by his side a bit longer. "If I may, sire?" He knelt before his master.

"Go on, Ecliptor, but make it short. I am in a splendid mood for thrashing some Rangers right now."

"Sire, you need to be more careful. I have been your servant since you were a boy and have faithfully watched over you. Now that you have this slimeball watching you, you should be more careful. It won't be long until he is watching your every move. If you need something just ask, I will get it for you." Ecliptor stopped as Ciarán held out his hand.

"Just prepare a monster for me. I will worry about my task later… Oh, and get Elgar down to play with Scrudly, I want to watch, though I am afraid my pet is tiring of my toy—maybe this Darkonda would make a good replacement?"

"I will on both accounts. The army will be ready in fifteen minutes, will you be accompanying them?"

"No, I want you to lead this one. Make it hard for the Rangers. Just don't hurt the white one; she is mine," Ciarán commanded, waving his arm in front of him changing into his light armor. His hair went back to its lime green with red stripes.

--

Back on the Megaship, Cassie and Carlos had returned for the night while Ashley and TJ were away for the night; Ashley with her family at their home and TJ at an all night bonfire with his. Karone was with Cassie and Carlos playing basketball in the Simudeck while Andros was in his room again. At first Karone was going to let him be. She knew that she had put him in a hard place by telling him that Seira was gone.

However, it was her and Cassie against Carlos, who was bragging that he could beat them but he was down by seven points.

"Carlos, would you let Andros join your side if I could get him to play?" Karone asked.

"Yeah, I guess, what is he doing anyway?" Carlos asked. "Your brother is a very interesting person. You kept saying how he is such the leader that you're not, but yet since he returned all he's done is yell at me or lock himself in his room."

"He has his reasons, but his homecoming hasn't been as great as I wanted it to be. I mean, I was breaking family traditions outright and then I had to break him some unfortunate news that I found out about a month ago. He also likes to read all the reports that have been published, it's part of how he tells a lot about a person." Karone bounced the ball over to Cassie.

"You mean all the reports I wrote, he is reading?" Carlos paled a little bit.

"No, not all, just the public ones that pertain to the monster attacks." Karone said, "Anyway, I am going to go get him, he needs to get out and socialize some." She stepped out of the simulation and headed to his room.

"You can make reports private? I just thought they were logged by topic," Carlos said, turning to Cassie.

"You mean you didn't know? You're in for trouble. Karone showed us when we first came onboard, but that's when you were being stubborn. I guess I forgot," Cassie giggled.

At Andros's room, Karone knocked and the door opened.

"Karone, what do you want? I'm busy trying to sort through this mess of reports from the last two years."

"I know, Andros, and you are not going to learn anything about our four new teammates that way. You need to socialize with them to get to know them. Speaking of socializing, we are playing a game in the Simudeck right now that would give you the perfect opportunity." Karone grabbed his arm.

"Karone, I really would rather to get this done. The systems are a mess with the reports; they are everywhere. While you may be smarter with electronics, you know absolutely nothing about filing." Andros pulled his arm away.

"So, the reports are a mess and that's more important than getting to know your team? They don't think the way Kerovians do; they love to have fun and can make a game out of anything, even cleaning the engines." Karone pleaded, "Just this once for me, brother? It's not healthy to lock yourself up in here, anyway."

Andros sighed and stood up, following Karone from the room. "Fine, but only for a little while. I have some other work to do."

The two of them reached the Simudeck and Cassie tossed the ball at Andros. "You're on Carlos' team and you have the ball."

Andros caught it, frowning as he looked at it. "What is the game we are playing?"

Carlos took the ball from him. "We're—" The alarms cut off his words. "What is it this time? He's making up for lost time?"

The four of them ran to the launch bay and teleported to the battle. Karone contacted Ashley and TJ on the way and they were going to try and meet them.

The monster they found themselves fighting was harder than what they had faced earlier; it was more on the level of what they had been used to fighting, but with the added help from Andros they found that it was too easy to defeat. Within an hour they were back onboard the ship. The debriefing was going to wait till morning because Ashley had pretended to go take a shower to get out of her house.

--

Ciarán was mad. He had wanted a Ranger thrashing, but they had gotten stronger. Why did they have to get stronger every time he upped the level? He couldn't help but gaze at how elegant Karone had seemed out there. Even if the monster went easy on her she fought beautifully, and harder than the monster fought her.

What was he thinking? She had just caused him to lose another battle! She was fighting against him, but he still loved her—what had he gotten into? He felt dirty but liked the feeling. Slowly he brought a hand to his chest where he had hidden her picture under his armor, keeping her close to his heart.

He then turned to some quantrons. "Why must you always fail me? Everyday you fail me in assisting the monsters I choose to defeat the Rangers." Ciarán shot some electricity at them, making them jump to attention.

Ecliptor came back in. "Sire, if you hadn't ordered them to go easy on the White Ranger, we might have had more of a chance."

"My order stands. If we destroy the Rangers, I want her alive. I believe that if we destroy the Rangers, I can offer the White Ranger an ultimatum to join me by my side. I want only her in life and I want her unharmed; my queen shall have no scars from battles she fought against me," Ciarán said, raising a hand to silence Ecliptor before retreating to his quarters.

Once in his quarters, he loosened his armor and threw himself upon his bed pulling out the picture he kissed it and placed it under his pillow.

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	8. Breaking of hearts

Yes I know miricle only about 2 weeks passed since the last update, I have only like 2 more chapters on me beta'd but I'll get around to getting the rest of the story school is almost over.

**Itz Rayz:** Glad I caught you on that note haha. and Yes Ciaran has an obsesion of sorts, the question now is it healthy for either of them.

**Jeremy Shane:** thanks, what exactly did you like about the chapter?

**astrum-faith:** Yes he is in love but I don't think he knows he is insulting her. he just wants her for his queen and he doesn't want a blemish on her.

**2 Die is 2 Live:** what do you think is going to happen next?

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Destiny of the Heart

After the debriefing, Ashley walked through an isolated corridor. It was a corridor on a lower deck that really had no important features—the most interesting thing about it was the ambassador's suite. There was no ambassador onboard now, and there hadn't been for a very long time.

Ashley wouldn't have been there herself if she hadn't found that Andros was there and alone during a routine scan. She found him sitting in one of the few observation points on board. "A penny for your thoughts?" she asked, standing behind him.

He jumped. "What? Why would you want my thoughts?"

"I'm joking. It's an expression." Ashley smiled as she sat down. "It means, do you feel like talking?"

"Oh, I was just thinking." He paused and looked at Ashley. "Don't tell Karone, but I was wondering could there be a connection between Shawn and Ciarán. I know I never met him, but I think it's odd that the time between attacks was about the same as the time that they were seeing each other."

"Well… I have to admit that they do look similar, but Shawn's eyes were lighter… happier, you know? Ciarán's are always filled with hatred." Ashley described her mental image of him. "Then there is how kind and giving Shawn was, Ciarán is the exact opposite."

Andros shook his head. "Forget it, I'm not even sure myself. If I could have just met him even for a split second, then I'd know, but… it's over and done with, and I'm going to be keeping a close eye on Ciarán."

"Andros, I do have one question," she said. "Why have you been so distant? I mean, you just rejoined your sister. I know you were really in Cryo. Karone explained it to me but so far the others still think you have been on a trip." Ashley placed her hand on his, looking into his eyes.

"Did Karone send you here?" He stood, jerking his hand away from hers.

"No, she told me actually that I shouldn't get myself involved with you. I just came down here because I want to be your friend. Is it so hard to be friends with someone? I don't really want a boyfriend right now, anyway. I broke up with Carlos not too long ago, and things are still a little weird," she said.

"I have nothing against being friends," he said. "Do you really want to know?"

She nodded.

"Except for Karone, everyone that I've ever been close to has been taken away from me," he said quietly. "As a child, my best friend in the whole galaxy—Karone's true love—was kidnapped while we played in the park.

"When the war started, my parents dropped the White morpher on Karone. My father was my hero growing up and he and my mother ran with their tails between their legs, not looking back. My betrothed never checked in at her refugee camp, and I have no idea if she's alive of not, but I hope…"

Before she could help herself, she hugged him. "Andros, you never have to worry, we will never leave you. We are a family." She stepped back and turned away blushing, "Sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's all right." He sighed. "It's almost dinner time; we should head up."

Ashley just nodded and followed him.

--

It was a few weeks later and they had found themselves on Centaur B with the Kerovian rebels. Ashley, Cassie, Carlos and TJ had almost faced a public execution when Karone and Andros had found them. As Kin-Won said, the rebels had to move again, but he had insisted that they stay one more night and that the Rangers tell what had been happening on their end in the war.

Everything was merry, with drinks going around celebrating the reunion and relocation of the two key fighting points for the colony. That is, everything was merry until, as ordered, some of the scouts returned to help move the rebels to another location. All troops were being called back. But in this one particular group there was a very familiar face. It was Karone and Andros's neighbor and sometimes training partner back on KO-35, Diallo.

Andros smiled warmly and went to greet him. "Diallo, I didn't know you had joined the rebels."

To both Andros and Karone's surprise, Diallo was everything but welcoming to his old friend. Instead, he paled and refused to make eye contact. Silently, he looked around for an escape.

Andros let him. He didn't understand why, but there was some rift between the two of them now. They only had one night with the rebels and then they would forever lose contact. Well, not forever, but at least until the war was over.

Andros went off in search of other familiar faces. Not long after, he bumped into a lithe form wearing a canvas cloak. The woman was carrying a basket of food from the hydroponics cavern, or at least she had been before he bumped into her. She kept her hood up as she scrambled to pick up the food. He bent over and started to help her.

Once the food was gathered and put back in the basket, the woman nodded and started to walk away.

Andros watched her walk away until he spotted a potato that had rolled away. "Wait, I found one more."

She didn't turn around, though, so he went to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You forgot one; I'm sure on a planet like this you don't want to waste food on the rats."

She turned and took the potato from him, but as she did he caught a small glimpse of her face.

He pulled her hood off of her face before he could help himself. "Seira!?"

She backed into a corner and looked at Andros with frightened eyes. Even though she had seen him helping her with the basket, she seemed surprised. "No, no, you're supposed to be dead. I was told you were dead."

He held out a hand. "I'm not dead, just injured, and I was in need of serious healing." Taking her hand, he helped her away from the wall.

She whipped her hand away from him. "No, Andros, you don't understand. I have broken our contract because of misinformation."

"What do you mean, you have broken our contract?" he asked as someone pushed through the crowd grabbing Seira by the shoulders.

"Andros, why couldn't you have just stayed down? You were gone, your girl was grieving, what was I to do? I was your best friend, I couldn't just let your betrothed suffer. It was a small matter in the affair of wars," the man said, placing himself in front of Seira.

"Diallo, what are you talking about?" Andros asked.

"I always loved your girl, but I was never good enough for her. You were classes above me and so was she. You fell during the battle and I was there to witness it; I thought you were dead. Rumors were flying around and most people believed you were long dead because of the way you fell. In the hours before evacuation I ran to her and told her what I had seen. I told her that I would take care of her," Diallo explained defensively, still standing in front of Seira protectively.

"Seira is this true?" Andros asked and she nodded

"The war had been hard on us all. At first I was just keen on protecting her and keeping her high class eyes from seeing too much pain. But then no news came of you or your sister, reinforcing the rumor that you had been taken down in battle. I then stumbled upon the rebels and they needed more men. Women were encouraged to return to the refugee camps, because only the strong ones that had proven themselves in battle were considered useful here. I couldn't do that to her though and there was a loophole, that the women could stay if they were your wife and had a useful skill." He paused, taking her hand. "She had that useful skill, a green thumb; she could make anything and everything grow back on the colonies. The only thing that was against her was that she was not my wife. I couldn't just turn her away and send her to the refugee camps."

"Diallo, the refugee camp plans were set up beforehand. She would have been safe there, just as much as with you watching her," Andros said bitterly.

"Will you stop talking about me as if I am not here? I have to say men can be stupid at times," Seira said. "I didn't want to go to the refugee camps. I was scared about what would happen to me there. You can only trust fact so much. I agreed to the marriage with Diallo but only out of convenience. I never loved him the way I loved you, but…" she said, looking down.

Karone walked in. "But because you married him at all it is binding for life, officially ripping the contract your parents had with our parents." Karone looked at Andros and then walked to Seira, "If I was in your place I might have made the same judgment. I don't hold it against you and I am sure Andros won't as soon as he cools down." She held her hand and hugged the girl.

Andros stormed off, leaving Karone with Seira. "There is one thing that will free you from me, Seira," Diallo said, watching his childhood friend storm off.

Seira looked rapidly up. "Diallo, no. You won't go and do that. The rebels need you too much. Andros will recover; he always does. He can fight his emotions most of the time. That is what drew my parents to making a contract with his. They admired stoicism."

Karone nodded. "I have to go now, but I wish you two the best in life. Diallo, don't you even consider that option. Andros would hate you more than ever."

"How could he hate me? You can't hate someone if they are in their grave," Diallo said, as he nodded to Karone and guided Seira away.

Karone raced to find the team. It didn't surprise her when they were not in the base. Running onto command, she found the four of them sitting there talking. "Guys, when you see Andros, don't say a thing about love. He has just had his heart ripped out and stomped on. I can't go into it right now, though. Just trust me that it is bad. You remember after he came back and got all mad about me dating. I wasn't even held down by a contract he is or was up until ten minutes ago."

Karone left the deck and Ashley followed. "Karone, is there anything I can do to help the two of you?"

"No, not right now, Ashley. This is something Andros needs to work out on his own. If you want the story, go ask him. I would be betraying him to tell you."

Ashley was stunned; Karone had never been in this way. Something serious must have happened and it wasn't the fact that he thought his betrothed was dead.

Ashley dropped it right then and went her own way; however, she soon found herself laying in bed with sleep avoiding her. She got up and put her sweat suit on. Maybe she would go for a run around the ship to help her sleep.

As she was running, she heard something from the Simudeck. Peeking her head inside, she found Andros had the basketball simulation open and was tossing the ball around.

"Hey, I didn't know you had really gotten into basketball," she called from the edge, causing him to turn.

"I never did. It was just the first program in the queue that seemed like it would be good for blowing off some steam."

"Can I join you? I can't sleep and basketball is more fun with two people, cause you can have a one on one game." She caught the ball on rebound and teased, "Or maybe I can give you some pointers on how to make a basket."

Andros shrugged. Ashley was his friend and she had made it clear that she didn't want to see him upside down emotionally. They played for a little bit when Andros asked her the question, "Why did you break up with Carlos?"

"Will me telling you make you feel better?" she asked, turning to him. He caught the ball when she threw it to him.

"I am just wondering. You and Carlos seem like you are good friends; if you had something more, why didn't you continue?"

"Well, last year, during our first year as Rangers, I was on the cheerleading squad at school but I got an internship working for a fashion designer. It was already hard balancing school, cheerleading and Rangering, so I had to drop cheerleading to take the internship which I can use to better my career." She paused, making sure she hadn't confused him. "Carlos and I had been childhood friends and everyone said we made a cute couple. We really liked each other, and I was his cute cheerleader during games and such. Well, after I quit the squad I got out of my internship and headed to an after game party to support Carlos. I was running late and I found him tonguing another cheerleader. I turned and left, and didn't speak to him until a few days later when Justin, Cassie and TJ cornered us in the Power Chamber. After talking it out, we realized that it wasn't really our past that made us a cute couple but instead the fact that he was my best friend so my cheers always went to him during a game. We decided that it was better to be friends and not let that get between us. I'd let our relationship get a little too close to me and it hurt me," Ashley concluded.

"I think I follow you." Andros sighed.

"You know, I am here for you, though, Andros, and I will be for as long as we are a team and into the future if you allow it to be so," Ashley said, "I think I'll go to bed now; I have school in the morning."

"Alright. Goodnight, Ashley—and… thanks for talking with me," Andros said, taking the basketball and rolling it back to the center of the simulation before ending and following suit.

--

Winter came and went, leaving a beautiful spring. Andros slowly moved on from the guilt that had befallen him upon learning of Seira and her choices following the war.

Karone noticed that as the weather got warmer, Andros was spending more time with Ashley. She knew he was free to do this because he was over eighteen and his contract had fallen through, making him free from their mother's matchmaking skills. She decided she totally wouldn't mind if Ashley was her sister-in-law, she just had to convince Andros that he really needed her.

She got her answer at the end of April at Ashley's birthday party. Everyone gave Ashley a joke present; a fire extinguisher from Carlos and things of the sort. She gave her a reading primer from KO-35, after hearing about her intention of learning Kerovian eventually.

Andros sort of sat off to the side watching the gift exchange, and Karone couldn't blame him. Ashley had not made a big deal about it; in fact, this had been all due to Cassie's planning. She only knew of the gift giving because Cassie had had her birthday back in the fall just after they had come together as a team.

Seeing him watching some kids in the distance, Ashley walked over to him with a piece of cake. "Hey, what are you doing?" she asked handing him the piece of cake.

"Sorry, this is all sort of new to me. We don't celebrate birthdays on KO-35; for special years we might acknowledge one's age with a special privilege or something of that sort," Andros apologized.

"Hey, it's all right. I should have filled you in, but here, I brought you some cake; Cassie made it, in fact she planned it all." Ashley handed him the cake.

"Thanks. I… umm… I do have something for you. I wasn't sure when to give it to you, though. It's not the same as what they were giving you." Andros produced a little box.

"Andros, you didn't have to get me anything. Your friendship is enough for me, I just want to know you are happy." She took the box and held it in her hands and smiled.

"It's not much, but it is a token of my friendship, if you want it, of course." He nodded to her indicating that she could open it.

And she opened it slowly, snapping the lid back. Inside lay a delicate chain with a yellowish stone mounted in a ring the same metal as the necklace. Ashley couldn't figure out what it was—it was gold in coloring, but not the gold she recognized as gold on Earth. "Oh, Andros, it is beautiful. It's more then friends, though, to me this is something serious. If we are to remain friends I could never accept this."

"Ashley, that is what I have been meaning to ask you. I—I need someone like you. If you would like to give it a try. Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Oh, Andros… if you're sure that I won't hurt you," Ashley said, hugging him. "Yes, I accept. I have to admit we have grown beyond friends. It was nice being friends with you and I hope I can be half as good of a girlfriend to you."

"You will be." Andros smiled. Her smile had grown on him. "I couldn't ever replace you."

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	9. Located

**Charmedfan90:** Yes Andros asked ashley out however that is all you are really going to see for a while of andros and ashely except for mention that she is inded his girlfriend.

**JeremyShane:** I am sorry for asking, it is called getting feedback on a story though, what can i do better what could I lose from the chapter if I was to re edit the story.

**Itz Rayz: **thanks though that was pretty much the end of the Andros ashley stuff and you will see why in this chapter. they are still together and I refrence that but you will have to wait till the end to see them together in any really shaped form. that was a sort of filler to fill the time gap up to this chapter.

**star-dreamer09:** you just might get your wish tonight. I made Andros happy now lets fix Karone's problem once and for all. and yes school is hectic though I am out in 2 weeks which I get to celebrate by teaching archery to a bunch of girl scouts.

Destiny of the Heart

In his room, Ciarán still had Karone's picture hidden. "_Why do you seem so familiar to me?"_

He was distracted from his thoughts when Ecliptor walked in. "Sire, Dark Specter feels that you should run this mission more aggressively. If you do not, he will put Darkonda in charge of the Dark Fortress; we must not let that happen."

Turning around to glance at his chess set, Ciarán responded, "No we mustn't," he sighed, "I will take a monster and go alone to KO-35. I will set a lure for the red and white Power Rangers."

"A very noble idea, sire, to lure the two pesky Rangers to their home to destroy them. Their guard will be down because they are still emotionally distraught at the loss of their world." Ecliptor walked out before Ciarán could yell at him; he had been in a decent mood recently and didn't want to ruin that.

He turned around before he left. "_No, I won't destroy them… well, at least not the White Ranger. I did promise myself that I would let her keep her life if it ever came to that. She is to be my queen; I love her more than the galaxy could know. It would be so much easier if she wasn't my enemy."_

He put the picture away and walked to the armory where his battle armor was kept. He stood in place while his servants placed it on him and banged it all into place. He could take it off by himself if he really wanted to, but putting it on was another story.

Picking out the monster he would take with him, he ordered his personal transport to take them to KO-35. Once there, he sent a message, knowing it would bring the two Kerovian Rangers to him.

He meant to draw them there by making them think that someone they had been searching for was there; he had no idea what would happen once he had.

Ciarán hid in the shadows, his eyes on the monster. He ran his hand through his purple and black streaked hair and waited to see what would happen.

"Andros, are you sure that the message could have been Zhane?" Karone asked as she walked alongside her brother, both unmorphed. "Do you really think after all this time he would know how to activate a com; it's been eleven years."

"He wouldn't have to, Karone. Whenever anyone goes missing, the transceiver in the necklace every child wears is locked into the com units so if they are detected near a unit, a signal is sent out."

Ciarán, hiding a short distance away, could hear it all. He listened to them for a few minutes more before signaling the monster to attack. What he got instead was a surprise when he heard one of the communicators in their morphers go off.

"_Karone, Andros, be careful. We received a second message and it definitely has to be from Ciarán, because it is on a frequency that only the UAE uses."_

Ciarán frowned, confused; he had only sent one message but yet there was a second one. A few moments of thought later, he realized that his message must have been the second one; he had made contact with the Dark Fortress and the communicator on the shuttle was so old that it took awhile to fully remodulate.

Oh well,he decided. So what if he kept them on their toes; that would just add to the fun.

"_Wait_." He paused a second time. "_If I didn't send the one they were picking up as genuine… then who sent it?"_

His eyes were drawn to his necklace as his mind replayed what the Red Ranger had said. "_No_." He shook his head. It couldn't be; he wasn't Kerovian. He was from the destroyed settlement on the other side of this galaxy that had been settled by some rebellious members of KO-35's civilization. He was born on the settlement Tara V, and Dark Specter had the documents to prove it. The Red Ranger had come and destroyed Tara V; he was the only survivor. His necklace was even different than theirs—it was shaped differently, even colored differently.

He started to get weary and did not understand why or how except that he was only partially aware that he gave the signal for his monster to attack. When he came back to and was able to think straight, he saw Karone and Andros up against a wall and their morphers on the ground near him.

Standing up, he grabbed the devices and ran towards them. "White Ranger, you are not meant to perish in this battle." He threw her morpher to her and then looked down at Andros's. "Here, just this time because I am feeling generous."

The monster looked in his direction. "But master, you are giving the upper hand to the enemy."

"I am not, but there is no honor in letting them lose that brutally with no form of defense, Oh, and capture before destroying if at all possible." He turned and started to walk away. "If you are as strong as you say, then you will defeat them even if they have their powers.

"As you wish, master." The monster bowed ever so slightly before going on the attack at the two Rangers.

Karone looked at Ciarán as she dodged an attack. "You don't need to do this, Ciarán. I can tell you have some good in you somewhere. Please, search and find it," she begged, staring at him.

He ignored her and walked on. He felt something luring him away from the city and to a small village outside the city.

Ciarán walked but as he did, he felt himself get weary again. He found that loosening his armor helped, so stopping on the side of the road in a grove of trees, he removed his armor. He could always come back for it and even if he didn't, he had several more sets on the Fortress. It wasn't as if this was his best set, either.

As he walked away, he took only his sword and his staff, which he found himself leaning against. He wore what he had been wearing under the armor: black leather pants and a loose fitting black shirt that revealed his tattoo. As he walked, he felt himself drawn to a small, modest house on the far side of the village. As he passed houses in the village, he thought for a brief moment that they seemed familiar but that was almost impossible.

Walking to the house he felt drawn to, he walked to the door to find it unlocked. Whoever lived here had left in a hurry and only bothered to shut the door and not lock it. In the entrance hall, he sensed that this was not the place for his weapons, so he made them disappear and just as he did, he could have sworn he heard a man's voice scolding a little child.

"_Young man, I thought we told you to never bring any of the likes of your training weapons into the house. This house is a place where we can get away from who we are and who you will be when you get older. Now, go at once and put those right away in the storage shed outside like I taught you." _

Though the voice was harsh; it was full of love, something Ciarán could not remember ever hearing from any of his trainers.

He shook his head no. That was not what was important, but he needed to find out why he was lured to this house and destroy it so he could go back and destroy all the Rangers except the White one. She would be his no matter what.

He turned into a small side room with a good sized window filling the most of one wall. There was couch with a rich design on it and he was sorely tempted to sit on it, and when he did he found it more comfortable then his bed. He was tempted to lie down and take a nap on it, but that would be far from the wisest solution.

Needless to say, he leaned his head back and let himself relax, but it only lasted a minute for he soon heard two voices. One was a little boy and the other was a grown woman.

"_Mommy, will you read me a story?"_

"_In a short while, my baby boy. Let me finish mending the pants that you ripped in training today. Why don't you go upstairs and brush those pretty little white gems that are in your mouth? While__you are at it, you can get ready for bed and I will read to you in bed. Does that sound like a deal to you?"_

"_Yes, Mommy," the boy laughed._

Shaking his head, he walked out into the entrance way again, but this time he headed upstairs. Once at the top, he walked to the left and almost instinctively opened the door to a room. It was a little boy's room and was decorated in shades of blue with silver accents. The blue was gentle and far from the harsh shades he enjoyed. It looked like it had been a while since the room had been disturbed; perhaps even longer than the two and a half years since the evacuations.

On the dresser were several pictures of a little boy with very pale blond hair. He looked so happy, and it wasn't a happiness that Ciarán had ever felt. It was more innocent and more genuine.

He looked in the mirror. It sat low on the wall, but by bending over, he was able to see himself in it. As he did so, a tear dripped down his face and he rubbed his hand over his head allowing the black and purple dyes to disappear. In it's place was his natural color: a pale blond.

He sat down on the bed feeling very much in shock. Was he Kerovian? No, he was from the planet Tara V. He had to be! That's what all the records said.

He was Ciarán Bevan from the planet Tara V.

He kept repeating that in his head until he could do it no longer, and he collapsed on the bed. He stayed in that position, sobbing a bit, struggling to compose himself until he heard voices outside.

It was the Rangers. They must be following the same stupid beacon he was and had evidently defeated his monster he had left with them.

He stood up and straightened the bed so it didn't look rumpled and looked more like how he had found it. He could hear them inside the house now and they were in the side room, it seemed. He hoped they would not come up there, but he knew from the bottom of his heart they would. They would retrace his steps and find him defenseless in that room.

He stood hiding his face ever so slightly in front of the mirror holding a picture making sure the arm with the tattoo wasn't visible to them. He heard them outside the door, but he was not prepared for when the door opened and in flew Karone.

She screamed a word that sounded like "Sane" but he wasn't sure, and then she hugged him the tightest he had ever been hugged. He stood there, stunned, for a minute while she sobbed into his tunic the word "Sane" but as he listed, it got clearer and rang in his ears.

She was sobbing a name, and the name was Zhane; it was so familiar to his ears like the voice of an old friend calling out to him.

He hesitated for just a moment more before he knew what he must do. In one quick motion, he went to hug her but put his hands loosely around her neck and yanked her off of him. Giving her the coldest stare he could muster, which even he knew was not very cold, he gradually tightened his hands around her neck.

Through tears that were now of fear, she whispered, "Ciarán Bevan, it was you all along."

Andros cried out from the doorway, "Karone, I told you to be careful. I told you this could very well be a trap."

"Shut it, pretty boy, or I will choke her even faster." Ciarán scowled in Andros's direction.

Karone, in one last attempt to get through to him, grabbed at his necklace. "Andros, it never was a trap! All this time Ciarán was Zhane. Don't you see? Look, look, brother, at the locket he wears," she pleaded as the oxygen supply was becoming more and more scarce. She looked at Ciarán in one final attempt. "Zhane… what… was… the… last… thing… you said to me…" she asked, managing to get the last of it out at once without pausing for a short supply of air.

He loosened his grasp slightly, but hardly enough for her to breathe normally. "You came to see me, Zhane. I was sick in bed with a really high fever. You were six and I was five; you were at the age where you thought all girls had Avara, but you were not afraid of me. You… told me that… that…"

He tightened his hands again and Karone passed out, but to his shock he dropped her and didn't finish the job he had intended.

He found himself kneeling beside her. With the tears in his eyes, he picked her limp form up. He carefully laid her on the bed. He felt Andros come closer and attempted to move him away, but Ciarán didn't allow it and pushed him away in return.

"I… I told you that I needed you and that you had better live through your fever so that you could grow up and marry me." He sobbed over her, and to his surprise, she moved her head ever so slightly and, in very slow movements at first, hugged him. He hugged her back and laid her hands back down as he turned to face Andros. "Andros, I… I am so sorry for everything I have done to you. You were my best friend and I probably ruined that."

"No, Zhane, you can't help what you didn't know. You were raised to believe something other than the truth. You believed the lies; you became the lies tool. You never have to ask my forgiveness." Andros tentatively hugged him and turned him towards his sister. "My sister might be another story, but I am fairly certain she will always trust you. She has always told me there was something about your eyes, no matter what you wore or what color your hair was, your eyes always made her think there was something in you that was not evil."

Zhane smiled. Inside, he was still struggling with the fact that he was Zhane. He picked Karone up gently and she slowly in her half conscious state leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing his strong arms to carry her. It was evident that she trusted him, despite all the pain he had caused her and his attempt to kill her just now.

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Ok so who saw that one coming, if you did you get a cookie but don't lie about because I will find out if you did or not.

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	10. deception

**Charmedfan90:** the question is... is he back or not? and thanks i was trying to make it intense.

**Jeremy Shane: **I am happy that you review, i just like crticism at times.

**star-dreamer09:** well here is an update for you, I don't know if you will smile with this chapter but here you go

**astrum-faith:** well you were the straw that broke the camels back on me holding out on this chapter so here you all go chapter 10

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Destiny of the Heart

"Zhane if you're ready to go to the ship now. We should probably get Karone some medical treatment. I am sure she will be fine but you choked her pretty hard back there," Andros said, walking over to him. He placed his hand on his friend/former enemy's shoulder.

"Andros, I can't do this to her, not yet. I can't go with you. I have too many loose ends I need to tie up."

"Zhane, please, don't do this to Karone. She loves you and I know she wants you by her side," Andros pleaded.

"Andros, I am not Zhane. Zhane is someone I was when I was a boy. I am Ciarán now and Ciarán can't just abandon the mission that Dark Specter gave him. I promise you that I will be in touch with you and that I can help you from the inside."

"Zhane, please, you could be putting your self in danger by going back to them."

"Andros, no. I am Ciarán Bevan and Ciarán Bevan can look after himself. Besides, at this point in time I can do more good in my position as Ciarán. I go with you and I become a fugitive on the run. Tell her that I love her and that one day I will stand by her side as that promised husband," Ciarán said, carefully transferring his promised bride into her brother's arms. "We have separate destinies right now, and we need to go with the flow of our lives."

Andros nodded and watched as Zhane ran from the room. Going to the window, Andros saw him run back up the road they had come down. He might still be continuing on as Ciarán, but the relationship between the three of them would be forever changed.

Feeling the weight of Karone in his arms as she lay there helpless and unconscious, he turned his attention back to her. He could see bruises forming on her throat. Andros teleported back to the ship and took her to the med bay, where he laid her on a bed.

Ashley had been walking by when she heard Andros arrive in the med bay. She went to see why he was there. When she walked in, the first thing she saw was Karone lying unconscious on the med bed. "Andros, what happened?"

"Ciarán was there as you thought. He had set a trap for us, but fortunately, it backfired. I will go into that later, Ashley, but it got dirty down there for a while, and Karone got the worst of it," Andros explained while mixing some medicines. "Ashley, do you think you could you sit her up? I need to get this medicine in her, it will help her."

Ashley went over and picked Karone up. She gasped when she saw the bruises on her neck. "Andros, where did these come from?"

"The battle. She got into a death grip with Ciarán. Don't worry, though, I will tell you more when I can," Andros said, bringing the bottle to Karone's lips. When he was done he asked Ashley to leave him alone and told her that he would see her at dinner.

It wasn't long before Karone started to stir. Her first words were, "Zhane, I love you too." When no one answered her she shot straight up. "Andros, where is Zhane? Wasn't he right here just a few moments ago?"

"Yes, Karone, but you need to rest your voice. I will talk to you later tonight in your room. Right now you need to rest. Do you want to rest here or in your room?"

"You know I don't like to rest, Andros. There is stuff to do around the ship," Karone said as she attempted to stand up.

"Whoa, be careful. You were just nearly choked to within an inch of your life." Andros reached out to steady her

Feeling a bit dizzy, she leaned into his weight. "Okay, maybe a little rest in my room wouldn't hurt."

Andros nodded and grabbed a bottle of medicine. A little rest for her was a few minutes; he would fix that.

When he had walked her to her room and she had lain down on the bed, he mixed the medicine while covering the label. "Karone I need you to drink this. It will help your throat a bit and take away the nausea."

He tipped it to her lips and stood up, knowing that she would soon figure out that it was some sleeping medicine. Sure enough, it took less than a minute for it to start to take effect.

"Andros… you… trick… me…" she slurred.

As he watched her eyes get heavy, she tried to grab for him. Her perception of distance was degrading and she kept grabbing at the air only a few inches from her. Slowly, her body relaxed and she fell into a deep sleep.

He left her room silently even though he knew she was out like a light. Once outside he told DECA, "Notify the moment she starts to stir."

--

Ciarán gathered his armor and returned to his transport back to the Dark Fortress. He felt relieved from earlier before his heart sent him on that quest. Now he just had to figure out he was going to keep up the charade. Knowing his lineage almost made him despise himself; wearing the clothes he was wearing made him feel disgusting and dirty all over.

By the time his transport had docked he had managed to put himself in a foul mood. As soon as it was safe to disembark, he was off and shoving his armor into a Quantron's arms. He attempted to make a mad dash for his quarters. He put on his ugliest face and stormed up there. Unfortunately, he was intercepted by Ecliptor.

"Sire, you were gone a long time. Dark Specter called for you for a status update. He is severely losing his patience with you." Ecliptor filled him in; however, it didn't take long before Ciarán had his staff out and had it pointed right at Ecliptor's throat. If he even had a throat, that is.

"You will kindly step off, Ecliptor, if you wish to keep your head. I am in a wonderfully vicious mood right now," Ciarán said, pulling the staff back slowly while glaring.

Ecliptor backed up a few steps, not wanting to be skewered like a marshmallow on the pointy end of the staff.

"If he calls back, I will be out in a few minutes, but I make no promises, not even too my own boss." He stormed through the rest of the corridors to his quarters where he threw himself on his bed and fingered the locket. Realizing how dirty he felt again, he decided it worth an attempt at showering and trying to scrub the filth away even though it was not something he could scrub away in a shower.

Fifteen minutes later he was out of the shower and putting on clean leather pants with a loose black tunic. Just as he thought, he still felt dirty, but he knew he would get used to the feeling. For now he was safe on the Dark Fortress and he didn't think anyone suspected him of allying himself with the Rangers. He just had to tread lightly and keep his anger levels up.

He re-dyed his hair. This time it was electric blue with his hair spiked and tipped with lime green.

As he secured the last strap to his onboard armor, he heard Dark Specter's bellowing voice. He stood around a corner to see Ecliptor trying to cover for him. This gave him the perfect opportunity, so he stormed out in front of the view screen.

"Ciarán, I am not happy with your results. You have always been a very promising mercenary. I have thought of you as my own son, but your progress on this mission is even poorer than Rita Repulsa's. You have three weeks to improve or I will have you removed and replaced. Upon removal, it will be considered whether you need to return to the training camps for further instruction."

Dark Specter signed out suddenly, and before Ecliptor could say a word, Ciarán raised his staff, ordering, "Ecliptor, you will hold that miserable tongue of yours. You as well, Elgar," he added as he spied the figure hiding behind a partition.

Returning to his room, he sat at his desk and started up his computer terminal. He knew what he had to do, but the first order of business was to procure as many secured channels as he could without tipping anyone off. He knew his limit was maybe a few thousand at most. Once that was done, he had to start the copying of all vital data on Zordon and the weaknesses of the UAE. The data copying would take a while, and he would be lucky if in three weeks time he would have enough of it to send to the Rangers.

While the programs were running, slowly, as to not draw attention to his secure channels, he knew that he would have to be smart in planning the attacks for the next three weeks. He would have to try the Rangers' every weakness. He would have to be brutal on them. He would leave holes in the battle plans and hope the Rangers saw them.

He decided that as soon as the channels were secured and locked away, he would try one to see how Karone was doing.

--

Andros sat with Ashley, giving her a recap on the events minus Ciarán's revelation. He felt that the less people who knew right now the better; it would also be safer for Zhane. When DECA notified him of Karone waking up, she had been out for almost five hours which meant she probably wouldn't sleep much that night.

"Ashley, excuse me. I have some explaining to do to my sister. I promise that you will know the full story someday. It is just that right now it isn't safe." Andros stood up and went to Karone's room where he found a little sister who was just about on the war path with him.

"Andros, how could you trick me like that?" she hollered at him. However, the holler was raspy and sore.

"Karone, I have something to tell you and you might not like what I have to say…"

"Andros, tell me," she begged her brother. "I can handle it."

"It's about Zhane…" he continued, but was cut off.

"I was dreaming, wasn't I? He's not really here, and he won't ever really be here, will he?"

"No, he wasn't a dream, but he isn't here," Andros said, sitting beside his sister and placing an arm around her.

"Why didn't you bring him back with you? Why did you let him run off again?" Karone struggled to breathe as she sobbed, not knowing if she would see her lover again.

"I wanted him to come, but he explained his situation to me. If he came with us, he would be a fugitive on the run, but if we went our separate ways, he would have a fighting chance till the end of the war." Andros paused as he looked deeper into her eyes. "He said he loves you and has always loved you."

DECA chimed in, "Andros, you are receiving a communication from the Dark Fortress."

Karone looked at Andros with almost fear in her eyes. Andros knew at that moment that she knew where Zhane was. "Patch it here through Karone's room." He paused and looked at Karone. "Stay back here. Until I know what this is about, I don't need you to go all crazy on him till I know what he needs."

Andros sat in Karone's desk chair and turned the monitor away from her bed. However, as he suspected, Karone did not stay seated on her bed as he had recommended her to. Instead, she came running to the monitor and turned it to face the two of them.

"Zhane! Oh my goodness, are you okay?"

Zhane, now obviously dressed as Ciarán with his hair re-dyed and wearing his armor, stuck a gloved hand to his lips. "Shh, Karone, not too loud. There is one of my henchmen right outside the door at all times, and I don't know if they are a spy for Dark Specter."

"But isn't Ciarán one of Dark Specters most trusted warriors?" Andros crossed his arms.

"I was until I started growing soft towards you, Karone. My battle tactics have gone downhill and that has not gone unnoticed by my superiors," Ciarán said. There was a knock at the door, and Ciarán jumped. "I will be right back."

He disappeared, and there was a clang as he opened his door followed by some hollering. When he returned, Andros curiously asked, "What was that all about?"

"Elgar snooping around. He was bored, so I ordered him to go play with my pet." He paused, checking something. "Look, I don't have much time left. I can only keep a secure private channel open for a few minutes at a time without being detected."

"I love you, Zh-Ciarán," Karone cried, catching herself but definitely not wanting to say the name she had to.

"Before I sign off, I have one other important thing to say. I have been given three weeks to try to improve. I don't want to hurt you but I need to keep my place here. I am working on plans that will push your limits but I will try my best to get you specs on my battle plans, just don't make it look like you are beating me with knowledge."

Karone was still in tears. "Ciarán, you need to do what you must to save yourself. I know you have been purposefully going light on me and you have my utmost permission to beat me to the ground if it is necessary."

"Karone, I could never kill you. But thanks for the trust in this matter. I know that if all goes well, there will be a day when we can stand side by side."

"Ciarán, we will let you go. You don't need to be caught talking to us red handed," Andros said with a nod as he turned off the monitor.

As the connection was broken, Ciarán shut down his monitor. He then turned towards his chess board and started to work on a battle plan.

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I have chapters 11 and 12 now so hopefully if you review fast you will see those two chapters very soon

there we are  
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	11. self Disgrace

AN: Ok though I only got two reviews, I know this is a busy time of year for all. I myself will be leaving for a while this wednesday. I will not be here all summer though I will have access to my email on occasion. One of my friends has agreed to put up a chapter or two for my during the summer so if you are good I will let her. please review and i will see about having her upload a chapter or two

**Jeremy Shane:** Ok I won't start with you, have a nice day

**Itz Rayz:** Yes maybe one day if I am feeling generous, but right now I am keeping them apart cause I am a big meanie lol

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Destiny of the Heart

The next morning Andros walked onto the command deck to be assaulted with a loaded question from Carlos. "Andros, do you have any idea why Karone received a communication last night from the Dark Fortress?"

"Yes, I do, and it wasn't her that received it. I was in her room and it was for me. I procured a spy that is positioned on the Dark Fortress. For the safety of my friend, I cannot reveal their name to too many people."

Carlos started to give him a hard time before Ashley stepped it. "Carlos, I agree with Andros. It's safer if we don't know his or her name."

"Oh, of course, being his girlfriend you side with him hands down," Carlos protested. "TJ, Cassie, what do you think?"

TJ sighed. "I have to go with Andros as well; sorry, Carlos." TJ raised his hands. "It's safer if we don't know. How certain are we that if we knew, we wouldn't let the name slip?"

Cassie nodded. "As much as I am dying from curiosity as to who you could possibly know that is a double agent, I'm willing to stay in the dark."

--

Ecliptor stood in front of Ciarán with the monster of the day. He remained quiet while Ciarán questioned the monster about his abilities. He would rather that he remain quiet than lose his head this day; Ciarán was not taking Dark Specter's judgments about him well, and was quite cross. This anger was good, though; this was the Ciarán that he had raised and known, not the lovestruck one he had been serving for the past months.

"Good, your abilities are right on par with what we need in a monster." Satisfied, Ciarán turned to Ecliptor. "Why couldn't you have gotten us a monster like him a long time ago? We might not even still be fighting this battle if you had."

The monster bowed. "I have your wicked blessing then, my lord, to go out and conquer the Rangers?"

"Yes, and I have special orders for you. I know you have seen that I normally do not attack the White Ranger harshly; well, after what happened yesterday if she is in the battle, you are to strike her down as hard as—if not harder than—the other rangers."

Ecliptor was aghast at the news. "Sire, you have sworn your love for your enemy. I have been covering for you."

"Enough, Ecliptor, I don't need it. It has come down to this: she is no different from her brother. She is too pure and good for my likings; I got a full taste of her, and it will not do. I still desire a human mate over a space witch; I will just have to look elsewhere for one," Ciarán said while staring scornfully down on his servant. "You have heard me, so don't question it any further. I now officially despise the White Ranger."

Ciarán finished his lecturing of Ecliptor and his briefing of the monster, and quickly retreated to his quarters. Upon entering, he ordered from his synthatron a glass of water, with which he went to his washroom and proceeded to rinse his mouth out. It hurt him so much to down Karone as he had just done, and he was actually tempted to wash his mouth out with soap. Deciding against it, he finished up by splashing water on his face and then drying off.

Returning in a calmer mood, having forgiven himself for his acts, he brought up the data brief on the monster. Reading over it, he took out some facts so that the Rangers wouldn't be able to take him out in a straight shot but would at least have data on him. Over one of his precious secure channels, he sent that data to the Rangers. Now he could only hope that someone would get it before he was finally forced to send the monster out. The Rangers had about two hours to prepare, seeing as he was currently outfitting the monster with equipment it would need.

Ecliptor walked to the door and knocked. "Sire, may I address you?"

Ciarán spun around in his chair and faced the wall. "If you must, Ecliptor." He stressed out the "Ecliptor" to emphasize that he was not in a pleasant mood.

"Sire, you say you despise humanity and especially the White Ranger. But yet you still want a human mate? I know you are human and I am merely an inferior life form, if you could even call me a life form. But still it confuses me. Why would you want such an evil ridden human over a perfect and flawless space witch when they are all over your every move?"

"Ecliptor, you are right; you would never understand. I want a human, because I am human. A space witch is not; therefore, they are more powerful in magic and spells than I am. My power comes from Dark Specter's blessing on my life; theirs is natural. If I married a witch, then I would be the inferior partner, but if I married another human, I would be the superior and I would remain in charge." He squeezed his gloved hand and crossed his legs.

Ecliptor nodded and stood. Ciarán knew he did, but made no effort to turn around and look at his servant.

"Sire, when do you want to send down the monster? He has reported that he is equipped to take down the Rangers. He is just waiting on your orders."

"Wait an hour and monitor the Earth Rangers' activities. Attack when they least expect it," Ciarán said, raising his hand and waving Ecliptor from the room.

Hearing him leave, Ciarán sank low in his chair and breathed deep. An hour and he would be making Karone fight for her life.

Time passed and before he knew it, Ecliptor was summoning him to watch the attack. He had the brief thought to stay hiding in his quarters, but knew that would look suspicious. Getting up, he straightened his armor. Grabbing his staff, he glanced in the mirror before forcing his head high and marching into the throne room.

--

The battle was hard on all of them. Ciarán definitely seemed to have upped the stakes. After getting thrashed for about five minutes, Andros shouted that they needed to aim for the middle of his chest. "His weak spot is the mark on his chest!"

The battle was then won easily. The Rangers partied briefly; however, Andros took note that Karone was holding her arm. The monster had seemed really aggressive towards her. Stepping away, he whispered to her, "Karone, are you alright?"

"I am fine, Andros; I just took a blow to my arm. Don't worry about me. I promised I would do this for Zhane." She let go of her arm and let it swing, glad Andros couldn't see the pained expression on her face.

"It is my right to worry about you; you're my little sister," Andros said. "And don't try to hide the fact that your arm is killing you. I may not be able to see your face, but I can sense your emotions."

"Don't read my thoughts unless I tell you you can. They are my thoughts, not yours," Karone muttered.

The monster grew and all the Rangers jumped back together.

"Karone, you take the Megaship; we will take the Mega Voyager," Andros hollered to his sister.

--

Ciarán watched intently, glancing at the screen while watching out of the corner of his eye for any signs of frustration from Ecliptor. He got that sign when the Rangers downed the monster.

"How did they do that? It seems like they knew beforehand where his weak spot was. He did nothing to give it away himself in battle."

"Ecliptor, I am thinking that you need to change your recruiting areas." Ciarán sighed. "Fire the Sati-lasers."

"Oh, trust me; I will. I have a contract within this particular area; they are all promised to be strong warriors, and by the time I'm finished, your three week probation will be up," Ecliptor announced.

"Well, when has breaking a contract ever stopped you before? If you can't get me anything, I will turn to Darkonda; he offered me a few monsters that seem promising."

"Sire, you promised me that you would have nothing to do with that beast. You accept this offer and then he will be moving in and overthrowing you," Ecliptor informed him.

Ciarán raised his hand and started to mock Ecliptor. "I have heard it all before, and frankly, right now I could care less about what you say."

During this argument, the Rangers destroyed the monster. He had the screen remain on and followed the Rangers as they appeared in his sensors, unmorphed. His heart broke when he saw Karone favor her arm with a pained expression. If only there was some way to not have to hurt her.

Before he showed his emotions of love on his sleeve, he exited to his quarters where he repeated the process from the day before of stripping and trying to remove the filthiness from his body. It didn't help but it was a comfort to him. He had never liked seeing Karone hurt. Noticing his tattoo he scrubbed it hard, every time he thought of her, trying to remove it from his arm.

As he washed, he remembered one of the first times he had seen her hurt. Karone was two and he was three. It was the first day of school for the new two year old class; he had just moved up to a three year old level. He had met her before at formal get-togethers, but this was the first time he had seen her not dressed in stiff dresses not befitting of a little girl. He couldn't say anything, though, because his outfits at those parties were just as awful.

Coming back to the present, he shook his head but was unable to shake the newly returned memory. If anything, it brought him back into it so much that he lost himself and forgot that he was standing in his shower.

_A little boy with platinum blond hair ran across a gym. He wore a uniform of dark blue quilted pants that were baggy on his legs; he also wore a matching jacket that had a diagonal front with a tie keeping it closed on his side._

_It was free hour before they were let out for the day. Most of the kids were watching out for younger siblings. He was the only one in his class of three year olds that didn't have a sibling at the school; in fact, he was an only child._

_He was just wandering around looking for someone he could play with when he spotted Andros playing a game with a few of the four year olds. He thought maybe Andros would let him join; usually he didn't mind having the younger boy at his side. The others Andros was playing with were being the mean big kids and wouldn't let him play._

_He sat and watched, seeing as he had nothing better to do with his time. That was when he spotted across from him the blonde haired chubby cheeked sister of Andros. She was jumping up and down with a smile on her face. She wore the typical dark blue quilted smock over a dress that was the girl's uniform at this school._

_His attention was drawn from her and back to the game. He paid her no more notice; she was just another girl at this school. The game caught most of his attention till he heard a scream. Looking back over in her direction he saw that she was on the floor crying._

_He ran over to her and helped her sit up. His mother had told him that morning that Karone was starting school with the two year olds and that if he could, he should be a big boy by watching out for her if Andros wasn't around. Which was likely because the four year olds class was in a different part of the school and was more closely involved with the five and six year olds. _

_The two and three year olds, while separate classes, had group time together in which they shared a story. The three year olds were supposed to sit still and show the two year olds how big kids acted; it was called learning by example._

"_Are you okay?" he asked, and she smiled and laughed at him with a nod. "Want to play a game over here with me?"_

"_Yes," she said. "I play game."_

_Zhane ran to find a ball that was not being used by the older kids. Sitting away from the kids who had just pushed her over, they pushed the ball between the two of them. The game was boring to him but she liked it and it was a simple game that he didn't have to worry about hurting her._

_They were having fun till the bell rang signaling that play time was over and that parents would now be arriving. _

_He heard a cry. "Karone, where are you?"_

"'_Dros, 'Dros, me here." Karone stood up and started to call out to her brother. Zhane ran to follow the two kids as they made their way to the doorway. Karone would be going home while he and Andros went to training with their coach. This would be his first day in the normal class. Karone would do like he did the year before meet privately with the coach and do basic skills._

Ciarán shook his head again and realized he had been standing in the shower for over ten minutes. Ecliptor was bound to be looking for him again. He hurried to shut off the water.

After drying himself off, he redid his hair. This time he chose a dark Purple with silver highlights. One thing came from having naturally white hair; it was the perfect canvas for his magic dye jobs. The colors he wanted came almost untainted in his hair.

He then put back on his leather pants and black shirt, fastening his armor over the shirt. Putting on his gloves after he fastened his boots, he walked into the throne room.


	12. Traitors stance

AN: OK I was not very please when I got just now a very angry flame from an anonymous source. Let me make known that I respect peoples opinions good or negative. But when you attack me as a person I will redirect those reviews towards the nearest destructive force. (A tornado ripped through my town this summer and if I would have I would have sent that flame into it)

**Jeremy Shane: **Thank you have a nice day

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Destiny of the Heart

Andros walked onto Command and found Karone sitting there staring into space.

"Is it really that hard on you?" he asked as he stood behind her. The others had returned to school so they were alone.

"I don't know. It just hurts to know that I am letting him hurt me so that he can keep his honor even if it is corrupted," Karone murmured.

"He doesn't need to hurt you, though. It doesn't need to come to that. Let me talk to Zhane tonight, then we can decide." He knelt to her level and pressed his forehead to hers.

She nodded with a tear in her eye. "Andros, please, I will do what you say but please don't tell me that I must be sent away from here. This has been my battle longer than it has been yours."

"I will do what I can, I promise you that."

--

That night Andros was sitting at his desk when DECA informed him of a call for him. "DECA, I will take it here," he replied to the computer. His screen came to life with Ciarán's visage.

"Andros, I didn't hurt her arm too badly today, did I?" was Ciarán's first question.

"No, you didn't; it was more of just shock from it happening. I am scared for her, though. She misses you terribly, and she is willing to bear this pain but she can be stubborn and I am afraid that eventually it will get too much and that she won't tell me or anyone else," Andros said.

"I know. I watched it all and it was all I could do to not scream and recall that monster," Ciarán said, looking downwards and then glancing back up.

"Thanks for the background on the monster, though; it helped a lot. Did I wait long enough before acting on my knowledge?" Andros asked.

"I think it was fine. Ecliptor was a bit ticked off, though, that monster had no record as far as he knew and couldn't understand how you knew." Ciarán smiled but then frowned. "I don't think I can stand to hurt Karone any longer. I want you to send her away from here. It will make it easier on me; she is my weak spot."

"She isn't going to like that order, let me get her in here. You can tell her. She might take it from you better than she would from me. She told me if anything could be done, she would do it, but that she didn't like the idea of being sent away," Andros said, and then said to the air, "DECA, can you get Karone here as soon as possible?"

Less than thirty seconds passed before she was knocking on his door. "You called for me, Andros, is it Zhane? Does he want to speak to me?"

"Yes, now, shh. The doors aren't even closed and you are talking that loud. The others can't know, remember?" He stood up and allowed her to sit in his chair.

"Karone, I need you to listen to me very carefully." Ciarán continued, "I have a mission for you. It may seem like I am the one sending you away, but I decided that it won't work for you to fight my monsters with my upped attacks. Seeing you get hurt today hurt me terribly."

"Okay, I am ready, Ciarán. I won't like it but I'll do it for you." She nodded sadly.

"I have never liked seeing you get hurt. Now I need you to go and protect the rebels." He nodded back at her.

"But we don't even know where they are. Their location is kept as secret as possible." Karone protested.

Ciarán raised a hand. "I was doing some research and their cover has been blown yet again. It is up to you to go and move them to another location. I will send after this on another secure line the location they are at. It is up to you now, Karone, I promise you this will not be goodbye. Stay with them for three weeks and don't turn back for a second lest you be caught by a scout. Included in the file I will send you will be plans for ship locations in the next month."

"Alright, Ciarán, but when I get back you owe me big time," Karone said, tearing up.

"Don't worry, Karone. I will repay you big time. I need to get off now be looking for the files." Ciarán nodded and signed out.

"I guess I should go say my goodbyes so that I can leave as soon as I get the files," Karone said as she stood up.

Leaving the room, she found TJ and Cassie outside Cassie's room. "TJ, Cassie I have something to tell you. Do you know where Ashley or Carlos are?"

"Carlos is in his room, and I think Ashley is on watch right now," TJ replied.

"Could you get Carlos and meet me on command?" Karone asked, getting a nod from the two of them.

Once it was the five of them, Carlos asked, "What is this all about?"

"I have news that is going to change this team up a bit," Karone started when Andros walked in.

"Karone, the information is all here on this data pad."

"Thanks, Andros." Karone looked away sadly, then back at the others. "I am being sent away. Our mole on the Dark Fortress thinks it will be safer for me. Ciarán is mad at me and has it out for me as the battle today demonstrated. It has found out that Dark Specter knows the location of the rebels again so I am being sent to move them."

Ashley jumped up. "So that is it? You are being told to jump and you are jumping."

Carlos continued, "How do the two of you know you can trust this mole? How do you know this isn't a trap and that he is taking you for a ride?"

"I know because I personally know the mole. He was told to protect me as a young child and he did just that." Karone defended herself. "I will be back, though. I am not leaving forever, just a few weeks. I think the five of you can man this ship and handle Ciarán." She stood up and walked off the deck to go get her belongings that she would need while on her trip.

--

Two weeks passed and things were starting to get rocky for Ciarán. Dark Specter decided that Darkonda should move onto the Dark Fortress and watch over Ciarán. Ciarán's progress was not sufficient; his battles were still too soft. The evening after he found out, he contacted Andros.

"Andros, things are going for the worse. Tonight I need an escape plan made. Dark Specter has decided I am still too week and wants Darkonda to move onboard. That beast cannot keep his nose to himself and I feel I will be found out within twenty four hours." He shook with fear and Andros could tell he was really scared for his life.

"I think I have an idea, but I am going to need to bring Ashley in on this with me. It has been hard keeping your secret from her. But I know she can bear it," Andros said as he stared at his friend. "DECA, please send for Ashley.

Ashley soon knocked on his door. "Andros, you wanted to see me?" she asked upon being let in. Her face paled when she saw Ciarán's face on the screen.

Ciarán noticed this. "Ashley, please don't be afraid, I am the mole that Andros was been communicating with."

"Wow," Ashley gasped, "I never thought it would be you. What made you change to our side?"

"Karone did. She made me remember my promise when we were kids. You are accepting this very well, but Andros wanted you here so he could work on a plan to get me out of Dark Specter's clutches. I am being put on probation for being too weak."

"Not only that, but his cover is about to be blown," Andros continued for him.

The three of them sat down and formulated a plan that, by the time Ciarán was absolutely forced to log out, seemed workable.

--

It turned out to be three days before he had to enact the plan. Unfortunately, the files weren't all gathered. He would have to send what he could before he needed to run.

He sent the most important things, like finding Zordon, first; that was the only thing he got out when Darkonda paraded into his quarters liked he owned the place. Ciarán closed all his files on his monitor.

Ciarán gripped the edge of his chair. Darkonda was doing all that Ecliptor had said he would. "There you are, my prince. We have a schedule to keep if we want Dark Specter to return his favor to you." He then whispered, "That is, if you stop your traitorous ways."

"What do you mean, Darkonda?"

"I know that you covet the White Ranger and that you have a pact with her."

"I gave that up two weeks ago. Anyway, she is gone and has not been seen for almost two weeks." Ciarán rose out of his chair with a glare that would have made an ordinary being shudder.

Standing up, Ciarán shoved his chair out of the way. He marched past Darkonda and into the throne room as he yelled, "I am tired of all these flunky monsters. Darkonda, you have not been able to give me any that make any improvement. I am going to take the Rangers down myself. If a monster can't do the job, then I need to do my own dirty work."

He went back to his quarters and briefly brought up a message to be sent to Andros. "The plan is now in effect." It was short, simple and would be quick to send out. He ran down to the armory and put on his armor. If all went well, this would be the last fight of this battle.

He walked into the throne room. "I will be leaving now. I want to get this battle done with."

Ecliptor nodded, but stopped. "Sire, you can't leave just yet. It was announced that there was an important broadcast for all UAE warriors."

The screen exploded in color and one of the war lords appeared. It was a bounty hunter. Not only a bounty hunter but it was Theron; he had been Ciarán's master for two years.

"_Ciarán! Come here, boy!" a voice cackled._

_A skinny boy dressed all in black came running. The boy was about eight years old. "Yes, Mistress Mardini."_

"_Your High Master Dark Specter has decided that you have proven yourself and would like to reward you with your first field assignment. You are to go and work for the warlord and bounty hunter Theron," the woman said, glaring at the boy._

_Ciarán smiled as a little boy would after hearing something good. He knew that Mardini didn't like him and that she would be glad to not have to care for him any longer. "When do I leave?"_

"_Right now!" a gruff voice said. A large, rough scaled hand grabbed his in a vice grip and dragged him off._

_He was dragged onto a ship and pushed into a corner. "You are to be my apprentice. That means I only ever want to see your ugly mug and never hear you. You are to serve me silently and do what I tell you. If you do otherwise, it will be twenty lashings."_

Ciarán straightened up. Theron had gone missing a year ago. Behind Theron was another bounty hunter, Yaegar, who was speaking. Soon Ciarán started to shake as he realized what was going on. Theron had committed crimes against the UAE and was now going to pay the ultimate price in sacrifice to Dark Specter—his life.

Ciarán began to shake inside. But he stood strong he couldn't let them think he was about to do something that would lead to the very same price. He cheered alongside Ecliptor and Darkonda when they beheaded and gutted him. It was a bloody death, as Dark Specter liked. But all Ciarán could think was about how in just a few hours if he wasn't successful in getting away that what was happening to Theron could happen to him.

He for a few minutes thought of maybe calling it off, but then realized that would look even more suspicious. He needed to fight and go from there on whether he would go with the Rangers and fake his own death or not was something he would have to decide. Death seemed a better option if he would get to see and hold Karone in his arms, than if he was just labeled a traitor.

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	13. Transitioning

**Star-dreamer09:** It is getting exciting and I can't wait to get more back from Phantom Rogue, I try to keep one chapter ahead and I just got chapter 14 back from her so here is chapter 13.

**Jeremy Shane: **Thanks for reading --

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Destiny of the Heart

Andros received the message and ran to find Ashley. "Ashley, the plan has been enacted."

Nodding, Ashley grabbed at her stomach. "Ow, Andros, I don't think I can fight. I hurt all over; I think I have a stomach bug. I'm just going to go lay down, if you don't need me."

"I'll bring you some medicine; you just take it easy today. The four of us will handle any fights for today. I warned you to be careful with that dish at breakfast," he added as he walked her to her room. "It's not for those with a sensitive stomach."

When Andros returned to the Bridge, Carlos was there. "What's wrong with Ashley?"

"Nothing. I have been making her breakfast in the mornings. Today it was some traditional Kerovian dishes and she chose one made with many spices. It is enough to give an elephant stomach cramps. She should be fine by tomorrow."

The alarms then went off, and Cassie sighed."Oh, now what? We are down Ashley and there has to be an attack today."

"We'll handle it. Don't worry; it will be alright. We have been able to beat Ciarán's tactics many times before. I am sure we can do this one with no problem," Andros encouraged them.

TJ looked at a read out. "That may be, but it looks like Ciarán is doing his own dirty work today. This is different then a normal everyday battle, because despite being evil he is human like us."

"We will fight to the best of our ability and take him down in the most humane way," Andros said, watching on screen as Ciarán marched through the city streets.

The four of them left and Ashley came from around a corner, obviously not ill. She sat at a control station waiting for the cue to show up on screen.

She watched the battle as Andros fought personally with Ciarán. The others fought with quanatrons. There were about fifty accompanying Ciarán so the three of them had their work cut out for them.

She almost lost track of time and when she saw Andros fire at Ciarán, she almost missed the window of opportunity to do the camouflaged teleport, getting him off the scene of the battle and replacing him with a dummy, which was in turn blown to smithereens by Andros.

Once her work was done, she ran to the med bay to find Ciarán lying bruised on a bed. "Are you okay? I am so sorry; my timing was a bit off."

He didn't respond, but she saw the straps on his armor and undid them. It couldn't be comfortable laying in the bulky hard armor, so she removed it gently. To get it fully off she had to sit him up, which she did very carefully, while pushing the heavy armor from the table with a crash.

"Ciarán, are you alright?" she said, shaking him a bit.

He groaned. "If it would please you, Ciarán is a name I am running from now. Please, if you could call me Zhane. That is the name I was born into, after all. Ciarán Bevan is something given to me in falsified documents by the UAE," he said, trying to sit up on his own, but wincing in pain. "That blast was a little harder then I anticipated."

"Here, let me get you something. Andros set out some painkillers incase my timing was off and you got injured in the explosion," Ashley said, reaching for a bottle that was sitting on the shelf.

"No, I don't take painkillers unless the injury is bad. It's a sign of weakness that I have never been able to stand," he said, refusing the bottle in Ashley's hands.

"Here we accept our weakness. It is part of being human," Ashley insisted.

"Please, no. I don't think I can stand the thought of it just yet. This is going to be a big change for me." He stood up, getting his balance by leaning against a table. "I just need a clean pair of clothes. I need to get out of these clothes. They are of who I was, not of who I am."

"Uhh…" Ashley jumped up and grabbed a small bag. "These are the clothes that Andros set aside for you. There are some boots in the bag as well."

"Thanks." He took the bag from her. "Is there someplace I can go to change?"

"Yeah, but I really think you should stay here. You're hurt and I don't really know how bad."

"I just want to change, then if I feel like there is something wrong with me I will come back," Ciarán said.

Ashley nodded. "But we will walk slowly."

She led him to a spare room. "This will be your room and the bathroom is two doors down from here. Carlos is in the room next to you, then TJ, followed by Andros in the first room."

"Thank you, Ashley, for everything."

"I didn't do anything, Zhane." Ashley said, but heard the others come back. "I should go; they think I'm in bed, sick."

"Alright, I should rest," Zhane said.

"You should take this as well." Ashley handed him the bottle of medicine

"I can't promise anything." He took it and looked at the bottle.

"You know Andros will force it down your throat if he knows how much pain you're actually in," Ashley said, before darting up the corridor to her room.

Zhane turned around to look at his new room. The walls were a bare, cold, utilitarian gray. The bed was a bunk style that looked easy to bump heads on, and there was a small closet that was empty with a mirror next to it mounted on top of a small dresser. On the back wall there was a desk with a monitor attached. The room was simple in the way of the Kerovian military. From what he remembered of his real childhood, his family lived simply as well, with most of his clothes having been sewn by his mother.

There was a knock on his door. He answered it, letting Andros in. "Ashley told me that you refused to stay put in the med bay." Andros walked by the desk where Zhane had set the medicine bottle. "She also told me that when she finally got you here you were in a great deal of pain."

"Yes, so? I have had to be strong my whole life. It takes a lot for me to admit weakness, Andros. I can't just stop and take painkillers."

"Zhane, that is stupid and you know it. You don't like to see Karone injured; did you stop to think that maybe Karone doesn't want to see you hurt, either?"

"She won't be back for a few days, and I'm a fast healer; I should be as good as new by the time she returns. I sent her away for three weeks, remember?"

"You know what, I am not going to argue with you. If you're hungry, lunch is in about an hour; Carlos is in charge of making it tonight. You might want to change and do something about your hair."

"I intended to. These clothes are part of me that I just want to leave behind. I don't think I will join you for lunch though. I have seen Carlos' temper before and I think that we might end up fighting."

"You're right. Well, how about our afternoon briefing, then? You can come to that. Stay in the corridor and I will call you in and introduce you to them," Andros said.

"I will think about it. Right now, I just have a ton on my mind. I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted to on the Dark Fortress, but that is my fault."

"Zhane, I can see you are still struggling with who you are. We work as a team here, and we don't let our teammates suffer. We will let you have your own space, but please note that we all care for each other and if you need a listening ear, there are plenty of them to go around," Andros said, laying his hand on Zhane's shoulder.

Andros exited the room and Zhane looked at his hand. "I had better do this now. I can already feel the dark magic leaving me," he said, talking to himself. He was right on that fact, all the magic he had ever used was taken from Dark Specter. Now that, at least for a little while, he was thought dead, the energy that was channeled to him would be cut off. He closed his eyes and made it very quick but noticed how hard it was to actually make an effect. If he had waited just five more minutes he might not even be able to complete such a simple task that he had taken for granted as Ciarán.

He then reached into the bag and pulled out the clothes and boots that were in there. The bag looked familiar as he emptied it out. Picking it up, he turned the now empty bag over feeling the heavy canvas of the bag. On the inside flap there was a name stitched. Arian, the name of his father.

Looking up, he held the bag as a tear rolled down the side of his face, "AI, I mean D-DECA, could you send Andros here for a moment?" he asked the computer.

Andros knocked about a few moments later, and Zhane frowned at him. "Andros, how come this bag has my father's name on it?"

"It was his wish that if you were found alive you get his uniform. It was his dream from the moment you were born that you wear the uniform one day," Andros said. Reaching into the bag, he pulled from an inside pocket a letter. "On my sixteenth birthday your father gave me this bag and his morpher. He told me to hold onto them and watch over them. He stuck this letter into the bag and said it was for your eyes only."

"But how did he know I was even still alive?" Zhane said, taking the letter.

"I'm not sure he did. But he had a hunch when Ciarán injured him eight years ago that you were the same person. I remember him muttering something as they brought him in with his leg badly twisted."

"I wounded my father?" Zhane said, dropping the folded note.

"Yes, but no one believed him in his claims and just thought he was crazy. In fact, he never mentioned it again after those days in the hospital."

"I wounded my father? How could he ever forgive me? How can I ever be worthy enough of his uniform to wear it?"

"Read the letter and find out," Andros said, indicating the still folded paper.

"I can't bring myself to read it, isn't it enough I am in the room? Could you read it to me?"

_**Zhane, my dearest son,**_

_**I hold no sorrow to be writing this letter to you now. I love you, even though I know our paths have gone different ways. I am proud of you, my son, as I sit here with my cane by my side. Though I will never fight again, I am glad to know that my last fight was with my son. Though the side you fought for was in my eyes wrong and treacherous, I saw in your eyes and every swift movement of your body that you fight with the pride and honor engrained in our family style.**_

_**No one believed me when I said I had seen you so I have dropped this and forgotten about it, or at least made people I have forgotten. I hold you close to my heart and know dearly that one day you will come back to our people. It is in your blood and will forever shape who you are.**_

_**Though this letter is no form of artwork or poetry it is full of my love to you, my son. I hold nothing against you and I want to know in my heart that you have at least received my gift of the very uniform I wore when I was teen aged and first received the silver morpher.**_

_**You are my son no matter what name you go by in life. Whether it is Zhane or Ciarán Bevan, know that I love you and will always be the father that gave you life.**_

_**Your loving and forgiving father,**_

_**Arian **_

Zhane took the letter from Andros and read it over again. "He knew all along. I almost wish people would've believed him and come to take me from the UAE before."

"What had to be done was done; it's in the past now and we can't change that," Andros said, leaving the room once again. "Would you like me to bring you a sandwich?"

"I guess I am a bit hungry," he replied as the door closed.

Once he was alone again, he removed his shirt and slipped out of the leather pants. He pulled up the black uniform pants and pulled out the belt: silver with a gold belt buckle. Leaving the belt, loose he put the silver shirt on and tucked it in tight before tightening the belt. He finished off with the jacket but before he put it on, he held it in his hands. In his mind he could almost smell his father on the jacket even though his scent had long since faded from the fabric.

Standing in front of the mirror, he turned, looking at the uniform on him.

"_Arian, darling, stop fussing. You look fine in the uniform. If you fuss, then Zhane will, and I still need to get him ready for the banquet. He is taking after you in every shape and form. I think he even looks like you."_

"_Jelena, of course he looks like me, but there is nothing wrong with fussing over appearance. He is to be a warrior just like me and us warriors need to look good. The public doesn't want to believe in a warrior that is dressed sloppily."_

"_I give up, Arian. You know what, you are stubborn and when your son grows up to be as stubborn as you, he will have fun with the girl he manages to bait." _

"_You know what, I couldn't have asked for a better wife, Jelena. You gave me Zhane and you care for every ounce of our well being. I will love you till the sun sets on my life here and beyond into eternity."_

"_As will I, I will always let my favor smile on you, my husband. I pledged my love to you and I pledge my love to our son. I stand behind the two of you."_

_There was a rustling noise followed by some laughter. "Honey, I think we have a spy in our room." Soft hands reached under the bed and picked up the intruder. "Never mind, it was only our precious bundle."_

"_Zhane, you know you're not supposed to be under our bed." Stern hands took and held the giggling toddler. "There is a time and a place for being a spy, and your mother's bedroom is not the place."_

"_Me sorry, Daddy." _

"_Oh, I love you too, buddy." His father laughed as he was handed back to his mother._

"_Come on, handsome, let's go get you changed for your daddy's big banquet."_

There was a knock on his door again, so he opened it to discover Ashley on the other side smiling brightly. "Andros said you were a bit hungry. Carlos made tuna fish sandwiches."

"Thanks, Ashley, would you stay for a little while?" Zhane asked, taking the tray.

"Well, I would, except I need to help Cassie with something. And she sort of thinks I am sick in bed, so she is going to be coming to my room." Ashley shrugged and blushed. "Andros also said the briefing was in an hour, and you're welcome to come join us. He thinks it would be the best place because in the briefing room it is easy to keep control of certain problems."

"If Andros thinks it is for the best, then I think it would be good."

"Great, I will walk with you up there if you would like. By the way, that uniform looks amazing on you."

Sitting down on his bunk, he reached into his old clothes and pulled out his picture of Karone, which he had hidden inside his shirt that morning. He pinned it to the top of his bunk and looked at his own locket. "I am home, at least for now. How long can I remain here?"

He took the clothes and folded them up, and put them in the back corner of his closet. He didn't know if one day they might be needed again, even though his greatest urge was to rip them up and put them for recycling. He would have to ask Ashley what she had done with his armor when she had taken it off of him.

Returning to the bed, he looked down at it before he lay down. It might be smaller than his bed on the Dark Fortress, but it was softer. It usually took him some time to fall asleep on the bed in his quarters in the Dark Fortress but he soon found himself dosing off.

He was awoken to knocking on the door. "Zhane, you ready to go?" He heard Ashley on the other side.

Standing up, he looked at the time read out on the monitor. He had been out for almost an hour. "Yeah, I'm ready, just give me a second." He stood up and straightened his jacket.

Leaving the room, he walked beside Ashley. "Ashley, I was wondering what you had done with the armor I was wearing?"

"I haven't done anything yet except push it out of sight in the med bay. I thought you should decide what is done with it."

"Thanks, I just need a place to store it if I ever need them again."

"Why would you ever need it?" Ashley asked curiously.

"I don't know. I am just keeping them as a back up. I wouldn't worry about it now, though."

"Are you sure?" Ashley asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, I am sure," Zhane smiled.

"Well, we are here. Andros said you should wait out here. I am going to go in, though, but he will call you in."

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	14. fitting in

Destiny of the Heart

Ashley entered the briefing room that Andros had decided to use today.

"Ashley, you should be back in bed. Andros said you were pretty sick from something you ate," Carlos said, looking concerned.

"I'm good, Carlos. It passed and I could go fight now." Ashley shrugged, taking her seat.

TJ grinned. "Well, you missed the best fight of them all—Andros finished Ciarán off! We're never going to have to worry about him again."

Carlos smiled. "I'm sorry to see him go, though; our lives just became a whole lot quieter."

Ashley saw Zhane outside the door. "Guys I need to tell you. I was never really sick. Andros asked me to pretend to be sick. He gave me another mission, and he didn't want you to question what I was about to do."

"Ashley, what are you saying?" TJ asked, looking at her.

Andros stepped in. "She is right; I gave her another assignment this morning. Instead of fighting she brought the mole from the Dark Fortress on board. His life was in danger from various forces over there."

Carlos jumped up. "I knew it! The mole was a he."

Cassie smiled. "So do we learn his identity? Where is he? I would think he would have so much to fill us in on."

"He is right outside. Carlos, Cassie, TJ, I need you to remain in your seats and not freak out when I bring him in. He thinks you are going to try to maul him when he comes in and, frankly, I know where he is coming from," Andros said as he went to the door

"I would like you to meet Zhane. He was one of my closest friends when we were children," Andros said as he ushered Zhane in.

Ashley noticed Carlos' knuckles tighten as he saw Zhane. She laughed to herself at his reaction but winced as he blew up.

"Andros, are you crazy? You have been trusting Ciarán himself? How do you know he isn't taking you for a ride right now?" Carlos said, starting to rise up out of his seat.

Ashley and Cassie grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back down. "Carlos, please, Zhane has helped us out for the last three weeks. He has been wronged his entire life and used by the UAE."

"I…I know you don't have a reason to trust me and I know I don't deserve trust but all I ask is for a listening ear. This is hard for me; you don't know how hard it is. I was raised to hate Rangers but almost three weeks ago I found out that I was actually one of you by birth," Zhane said, taking a seat at the table.

Carlos sat back in his seat and glared at Zhane. "I'll be watching you."

"Fine with me; I expected as much from you guys. I knew by taking Andros up on his offer I would have to deal with a bit of hate. I know I am not your favorite person. I know everything I have done to you and, frankly, I regret every ounce of what I did."

"Welcome, Zhane… I must say that this is a bit of a shocker for me and I don't know where to stand on this, but I think the best place to start would be to clear the slate," Cassie said, standing up.

"What do you mean, Cassie?" Zhane said, standing up cautiously.

Cassie walked you to him and held out her hand. "Hello, I am Cassie; what's your name?"

Zhane smiled. "Hello, Cassie. My name is Zhane, son of Arian, but you may call me Zhane."

TJ looked at Ashley and Carlos and joined Cassie. "Welcome aboard, Zhane, I am Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson, but you can call me TJ."

Carlos slowly got up from his seat and stood in front of Zhane and formed his hand into a fist, which he pressed against Zhane's chest. "I guess if you're alright in their books you're alright in mine but I will still be watching you. I don't trust you and it will take more then a pretty face and sob story to get me to do so."

Zhane nodded as Ashley went to stand next to Andros, who put his arm around her and smiled, kissing the top of her head.

Carlos then grinned. "I know the way that you can first prove yourself to us. Today is Karone's turn to cook dinner and she still isn't back from her mission. We've been alternating who takes her shifts. I think you should take hers."

Zhane looked at Carlos. "Alright, but I must warn you that I have never cooked for other humans much less myself before in my life."

"I'm sure you can cook something," Carlos said, waving it off, and then he left the room.

Cassie stared open mouthed and chased after Carlos. "That was mean and you know it."

TJ looked at his watch. "Shoot, I have baseball practice five minutes ago; I should best get going." He ran from the room.

Andros looked to Zhane. "I am going to go try and reason with Carlos, he had no right doing that just now."

Ashley grinned. "I say let's show Carlos up. I will help you, but you have to promise not to tell that I am. Just to tick him off, I am going to help you make the foods that he despises."

"I don't want to tick him off too bad. I do have to live here with him as well," Zhane said.

"Just relax, Zhane; it will be alright, now come with me. We can get the prep out of the way and have everything ready for later," Ashley said, leading him to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen Ashley reached into a basket. "The trick is to make two dishes here. Carlos hates onions, and I mean he hates them, bad memories. So we will prepare two dishes, one with and one without. You just don't give him the special one till after. Could you turn the oven on so that it can be warming up?"

"That's good, but what are we making?" Zhane said, holding the onions in his hand.

"You are making meatloaf, I am just helping you but remember this is all you," Ashley said, reaching into the icebox and pulling out two Styrofoam containers of ground beef and a pepper. "I was going to make this for dinner tomorrow night, but I will let you make it."

"Gee, thanks, what exactly do I do?" Zhane said.

"Well, what you will be doing is cutting these veggies and mixing them with the meat and breadcrumbs in a bowl," Ashley said. She grabbed a container of breadcrumbs from a cabinet and handed him an apron.

"After you wash your hands, take the meat out of the packaging and put it in this bowl here." Ashley placed a metal bowl in front of him. "Then dump the breadcrumbs into it and work them into the meat with your hands."

Zhane made a face as he put the apron on and went to the sink. "Do I have to? This reminds me of the only other time I had to work in a kitchen. One of my masters made me prepare his meal for a night and he only ate raw ground meat."

"Well, this isn't going to be eaten raw, don't worry. Just mix the meat up so that it absorbs the breadcrumbs," Ashley instructed. "Once you're done with that take this bread pan and grease it up." She set out a small pan for Carlos' separate dish. "Once it is greased pack some of the meat into the pan so it can be popped into the oven in a bit. Then wash your hands again."

"Is cooking always so complicated? I think I prefer synthatron's to this."

"This is nothing; wait until you have to make something more involved. Meatloaf is a quick meal and by far the hardest thing you have to do this evening."

Zhane sighed and finished doing what she said to do. "Alright, the special one is done. What do I do with the rest of the meat?"

Ashley handed him some onions. "Peel the onions. Chop one and slice the other five. Oh, and be careful of your eyes, onions make you cry," she said, smiling. "When that is done, chop up the pepper I set out and mix them into the meat."

"I have to put my hands back in there?" Zhane groaned, but continued to chop the onions and peppers.

"Yes, but the hardest is almost over. After you mix this together and put the mixture in these two pans you just have to boil water for the instant potatoes and fry the onions for fried onions. Oh and open this small can of corn for Carlos." Ashley then turned around and looked in the icebox. "Hmm, actually, maybe we won't fry the onions. We can have salad. Don't cut those last two onions." She grabbed them from him and put them back in the basket. Instead she replaced them with a tomato and another pepper. "Cut these later."

Zhane finished dicing the two onions and the first pepper and then mixed them with the meat. Packing the mixture into the two remaining pans, he exclaimed, "There! The meat loaf is mixed; do I put all three in the oven now?"

"Put them on these pans first so that the grease doesn't drip all over the oven making an even bigger mess to clean up." She handed him two cookie pans.

Once he had done that she handed him a pot, "Fill this pot with about four cups of water and then put half a stick of butter in and put this on the stove top and let it go to a boil." Looking at the can of corn, she added, "I actually don't think you need to do the corn at all."

"When you're cooking does the menu change this much?" Zhane asked, leaning against a counter.

"Believe it or not, it does. I will start cooking and then get to looking at what's around, and if there's something that needs to be used up, like this lettuce, I will change the menu so that it gets used before it goes bad." She tossed him the lettuce. "Now while we wait for the potatoes…"

"Let me guess, I will make the salad?"

"Ehh, close but not close enough. You're going to make dessert: Pudding fruit cocktail. This is easy; take the glass bowl. Put two cups of milk for each box of pudding, there are two boxes so you are going to need four cups. Then take a wire whisk and mix the pudding powder in with the milk. When that is mixed, put this can of fruit cocktail in the pudding, then cover and put it in the ice box," Ashley said with a nod.

Zhane washed his hands and made the pudding.

As he did that she took a bottle of ketchup and some spices and made her families top secret meatloaf sauce. "Zhane, when you are done with that the meatloaf needs to come out and have this sauce spread on the tops before they finish cooking. When the water boils mix six cups of mashed potato flakes in the pot, reduce the heat to a warm setting and cover with this lid. I am going to set the table."

She left the kitchen with the plates. By the time he had finished with those tasks she was back. "Alright, the pudding is in the icebox, the sauce is spread over the tops of the meatloaf and the potatoes are sitting. Now do we do the salad?"

"Yes, now we do the salad." Ashley smiled.

"Did you just say we?" Zhane asked.

"Yes I did, you are going to cut the pepper and the tomato and the lettuce. Then you need to shred the cheese. I'll assemble it because I know everyone's likes and dislikes. Just make sure the tomato is done after the lettuce or on a clean knife, Cassie is allergic."

Zhane paled. "The sauce that you had me put on the meat loaf had tomatoes, didn't it?"

"I don't think it is a real allergy 'cause she eats ketchup. It might be that it is just fresh tomatoes or she just doesn't like fresh tomatoes but she gets out of it by telling everyone that she is allergic." Ashley smiled. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. I told you to put the sauce on all three of them, didn't I?"

"Yes you did, I guess I am just afraid to mess this up." Zhane sighed.

"Okay, now that we have that settled you can start chopping the lettuce. Make sure you take off the outer layers and then wash the lettuce in cold water as you peel off the good layers. Break the leaves up and place them in the six bowls then go and cut the tomato and pepper," Ashley said as she pulled out of the ice box the dressings and olives. The dressings she put on the table before coming back and started placing the onions on five of the bowls as the lettuce was put in.

As Zhane cut the tomato, he said, "I'm not sure I like tomatoes either. I think the few times I went out with Karone to eat I tried tomatoes."

"Alright, then, no tomatoes it is on your bowl." Ashley skipped the tomatoes on two bowls. "What do you think of olives?"

"Olives?"

"Here, this is an olive." She placed it in his mouth.

"I think I'll pass on that as well," Zhane said.

"Okay, no olives on yours or Andros' or TJ's," Ashley said with a smile.

Soon after that the salads were all done except the cheese but Ashley looked at her watch. "Shoot, I'll shred the cheese if you can put the potatoes in serving bowls and put the meatloaf on platters."

As Ashley set out the salads she looked up to see Andros standing there. "Zhane, I will be right back. Just put the dishes out but don't touch the salad. I'll put those out when everyone gets here."

When she walked into the corridor Andros was standing there. "What were you doing? I've been looking for you all afternoon."

"I was teaching Zhane to cook. Carlos volunteered him to cook and he has never had to before. Are you jealous?" Ashley teased.

"I… well… I was just concerned…" Andros stuttered.

"Well, you need not stutter or be concerned. I would like to think of Zhane as my friend, and friends help friends."

"I know that. It's just… I'm afraid to lose you," Andros said, holding her close.

"You told me Zhane was devoted to Karone, why would he try to steal me from you?" Ashley hugged him. "Now can I go back to finishing the meal? You can go round up the others and tell them that dinner is ready."

"Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted," Andros laughed as she swatted him away. "Save me a seat next to you."

"I will, and Zhane can have Karone's seat on the other side of you for tonight," Ashley said to Andros as she went back in the mess hall.

A few minutes Cassie wandered in and took a seat on the end. Ashley took the bowl of salad that didn't have tomatoes and set it in front of her. She did the same as Carlos and Andros drifted in. Carlos sat in what had become his normal place on the same side but opposite end from Cassie.

Ashley saw Zhane watching as everyone took their seats, so she went into the kitchen. "You can bring out the food, you know. You don't have to stand in here," Ashley teased.

"Everyone's not here yet, though. I thought the way you were treating this everyone had to be here."

"Well, normally. But TJ had baseball practice so he might be a bit late tonight," Ashley said. "Now, remember only bring out one of the meatloaves, and not the one without the onion. Carlos needs to stop being a jerk to you." Ashley took the mashed potatoes and walked to the table, setting them down.

Zhane came behind her with the meatloaf and set it down, taking the seat across from Cassie. Ashley brought his salad and hers over and took her own seat on the other side of Andros.

Everyone began to eat and enjoy their meal. Zhane picked at his salad for a bit. He had made most of this food, but he wasn't hungry. He wasn't used to being told when to eat. Since Ecliptor had gotten him a synthatron he had eaten what he wanted when he wanted it.

"I need to tell you all that even though I helped, Zhane cooked most of this meal. The only thing I really did was mix the secret sauce for the meatloaf and put together the salads after he cut the vegetables," Ashley announced.

Cassie had just taken a bite of the meatloaf. "Yum! Zhane, you're an excellent cook, you know. You could probably make it as a chef."

"Thanks, I couldn't have done it without Ashley; she helped me." Zhane took a slice and took a bite.

Carlos picked at the loaf. "Humph, there are onions in it."

Ashley looked at Carlos. "There is a small one in the kitchen for you that doesn't have onions in it. I told Zhane to leave it there when you were rude to him earlier."

Carlos got up and got his own slice from the kitchen. When he returned he didn't say a word to anyone.

TJ walked in a few moments later and retrieved his salad from the kitchen. "Sorry I'm late, the coach wanted me to do extra drills. The next few games are big ones and there will be some college scouts. I have a chance at landing a few decent scholarships."

Ashley smiled. "Congratulations, TJ, isn't that what you originally came to Angel Grove to do?"

"Yes, it is." TJ nodded, then looked at Zhane. "So how are you? You seem awfully silent."

Zhane looked up. "Oh, nothing. I'm just taking it all in and trying to think how my reunion with Karone will go," he lied; he didn't want to worry them at this point with his destiny for defecting from the UAE.

After the meal Ashley was helping Zhane clean up. "There's still a lot of meatloaf left, why did you tell me to make two loaves?"

"Because now we have lunch for tomorrow. We can take some bread and have meatloaf sandwiches," Ashley replied, laughing.

"You telling Carlos to go get his own seemed to make him madder. Are you sure that it will be alright?" Zhane asked as he scrubbed the loaf pans.

"It will be fine. I know Carlos inside and out, we grew up together and he's not mad. He's just stewing over being put in his place," Ashley said as she bagged the leftovers.

When she was done she grabbed the next pan and started scrubbing. "I think you have scrubbed that one enough. You can put it in the dishwasher."

He placed in on the rack and looked around. Most everything was done except for the dishes now, and he had to admit it felt good to have done all that.

"Zhane, you can go. I'll take care of putting the dishes away. I have some homework to work on, anyway, so I might as well do it here. You go enjoy the rest of your evening. Later, if you're interested, Cassie and I are going to watch a movie. We don't know which one, though. That depends on who else we get to watch with us."

Carlos popped his head in. "I was just talking to Cassie, and I just got _Men in Black_. She wants to see that."

Ashley shivered. "Okay, but also I just got _Mouse Hunt_."

"Is movie night always like this?" Zhane smiled.

"Yes, everyone wants to watch the movie that they just got. I don't really want to see _Men in Black_, though. I was still dating Carlos when it was in theaters, and had to go see it with him. I am glad we got called to go fight in the middle of the movie, it was making me sick," Ashley said.

"I might come. Where are you going to watch it?"

"In either Cassie or TJ's room." Ashley grinned as she pulled her backpack next to the table.

Zhane left and just started wandering around the ship looking for something to do. When he came across the Simu-deck TJ was playing a one on one game of basketball with Cassie. Cassie spotted him and waved, "Hey, Zhane, ever played basketball before?"

"Karone's mentioned it to me before. I've seen it played but I have never played before," Zhane said.

"Well, why don't you join us? You can be on my team and I'll teach you. TJ can handle two people, can't you?"

TJ laughed. "Yes, I can. You two had best watch yourselves."

"Oh, TJ, I'm so scared," Cassie mocked.

TJ shook his head and bounced the ball. "Well, I bet that if I don't get this move we have fifty percent chance of watching _Men in Black_."

"You're on, TJ! Zhane, cover him and don't let him near the hoop!"

Cassie jumped in and before TJ could realize it she was standing in front of him, bouncing the ball. "You are a tricky one, Cassie." TJ laughed as he darted after her and Zhane.

As Cassie got to the net she bounced the ball over to Zhane. "Toss it into the hoop, Zhane!"

Catching the ball he looked at the hoop and with Cassie blocking TJ, he attempted to throw it in the hoop.

It missed and TJ caught the rebound. For a few seconds Zhane had a fear wash over his being. His whole life had been perfection for Dark Specter; failure when he was younger resulted in a whipping from his trainers.

Cassie noticed that Zhane's body froze up a bit. "Hey, Zhane, what's wrong? Help me keep TJ from making this basket."

Zhane looked at Cassie and smiled. "It was nothing." He ran after TJ and managed to steal the ball from TJ before he passed the half court. Bringing the ball back to their side, he passed it to Cassie, who made the basket.

Cassie went over and high fived Zhane's hand. "Great job, partner. Want to play some more?"

"Eh, I think I'll pass, maybe later?" Zhane replied.

"Whatever you want to do. By the way, dinner was excellent," TJ said, having caught the ball.

"Actually, maybe we should go see if Ashley is ready to watch the movie." Cassie took the ball from TJ while walking over to the simu-deck controls. She shut down the simulation.

When they got to the rec room they found Ashley filling two bowls with popcorn. "You guys ready for the movie?"

Cassie nodded. "Yes now we just have to decide what one to watch, _Men in_ _Black_, _Mouse Hunt,_ and I borrowed this from my mom yesterday, _My Best Friend's Wedding_."

"Let me just go drag Andros out of his room and I'll be down. Would you mind taking the popcorn?" Ashley asked before darting ahead of them.

They ended up watching _Mouse Hunt_ and everyone was laughing their heads off at the movie.

* * *

Please review, it lets me know what you think


	15. together

O so i am sorry about this, I had posted this but had to make some changes because silly me forgot to save the beta'd version and yadah yadah. so I removed it so I could replace it and then somehow it never saved.

* * *

Destiny of the Heart

After the movie, everyone went to their own rooms and called it a night. Zhane tossed in his bed for a while with sleep evaded him. When sleep finally did take him, it was far from a restful sleep.

Zhane had a dream that had him sitting up in bed, panting, wiping away sweat that dripped from his face. He sat there half the night reflecting on what he had dreamt.

Come morning Zhane left his room when he heard the others stirring. He was greeted by Ashley coming out of the bathroom wearing her school clothes.

"Hey, Zhane, did you sleep well?" Cassie asked on her way into the bathroom with her shower things.

He nodded and went to the other bathroom, where he splashed some water on his face. Leaning against the sink, he sighed. If his dream had been any indication of the future, he knew he didn't have much time of being free.

The day was quiet, with it only being him and Andros on board. Before Ashley had left, she had made sandwiches for everyone out of the leftover meat loaf so at lunch time the two of them ate in the mess hall with the leftover's.

"Zhane, are you alright?" Andros asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just didn't get much sleep last night. I have to admit I like it here; it's just taking some time. I have never experienced this side of life before. Last night was the first time I ever just played a game for fun. I missed and I was afraid of getting in trouble and being whipped by a master. I was ready for this change in my life but it so much different then I have ever known."

"It will get easier. How about you and I go down to earth and meet the others after they get out of school?" Andros suggested.

"If I know one thing about you, Andros, it is that you don't willingly go somewhere unless Ashley forces you. You are all about the war, the war I have been egging on."

"Zhane, it wasn't your fault. You were lied to, you had no idea that it was your own people you were hurting. You are not going to go around here feeling sorry for yourself. Think of this as a new start to life," Andros encouraged him.

"I am trying, but my mind is still mixed up between the truth and the lies. I only have so many of my childhood memories and every now and then a new one resurfaces and totally confuses me," Zhane said, looking almost terrified.

"I once heard that UAE brainwashing was complete and thorough. I can't imagine the war that must be raging in your head right now," Andros said.

"You have that one right. Everything I think, it's like, was that one Zhane's memory or is that one of the fake memories I was given as Ciarán," Zhane replied. "Ciarán's memories are sometimes more prominent then Zhane's and Ciarán supposedly lost his memory in the attack by the Rangers that destroyed his home."

"I am sure I can dig up some "home movies," as Ashley would call them. Your mother was constantly being followed around by alliance media, in her teen years she was a fairly well know celebrity. That was before she met your father. She did as most female Kerovian celebrities did when they got married and sunk into the shadows. Unfortunately, because of your father's public status the media was always on her tail. But other than that, you were your mother's precious child; for the longest time it was believed that she could never have any other children, so she recorded every moment she could," Andros replied. "I don't have any of the home video ones but I have the media clips; they are in DECA's database."

"Thanks. I'm not sure if I'm up to watching them yet, but I think I'm going to go lay down. Like I said before, I didn't sleep much last night." Zhane stood up and cleaned up where he had been sitting before walking out.

As he left he heard Andros say, "We don't normally keep secrets around here, but if you would like I won't tell the others about your memory. It's not all that relevant, anyway."

Zhane stopped slightly and nodded before continuing on out the door.

----

After school the other Rangers returned to the ship and they got about their daily activities, only to be interrupted by Karone returning. Everyone was just glad to see her; they forgot about everything else.

All the Rangers were with Karone on the command deck and she was giving them the news that she had found out. No one, let alone Karone, saw Zhane slip in. That is, until she asked about the battle with Ciarán.

"So I told you the news from my end. it was an interesting experience; I learned so much from the rebels and helped them set up a more secure fortress with which to fight Dark Specter with. But please, tell me how has the war with Ciarán been going? Do we still have the upper hand because of the mole?"

Ashley sort of coughed and gazed behind her, seeing Zhane standing there, surprised Karone hadn't seen him yet.

She saw him soon enough when he said. "I'm sorry to inform you that Ciarán is all but dead."

Karone's head snapped around so fast and Zhane had just barely finished what he had started to say before he had a squealing bundle of grey and white in his arms, hugging and squeezing him like there was no tomorrow.

"I am so glad you're here, Zhane. Life has seemed so bland since I knew you were alive," Karone sobbed in his arms.

"So am I, so am I. I missed you, but I know sending you away was the best thing for all of us," Zhane said, recovering from the shock of her running into his arms.

"How long have you been here?" She looked up at him.

"A little over a day. Ashley helped Andros bring me on board. For right now Dark Specter thinks I am dead. At least, I hope he thinks that. No one has attacked you guys yet, so I think my chances are still good," Zhane said, rubbing her back.

Carlos stood up and looked at Zhane. "What do you mean, getting attacked by Dark Specter?"

"I thought it would be apparent, which is why I never mentioned it before. I was high up in Dark Specters army. If he knew I was alive and among you, he would attempt to destroy you," Zhane said, still holding Karone.

"I knew from the moment that if we got a chance to be together while this war was happening it would come with risks," Karone looked at Zhane and rubbed his cheek. "You're here, and that is all I care about for now."

"Andros, did you know about this?" Carlos was steaming. "We just gained some ground and we could have the big guns of the UAE coming after us to get him back?"

"I knew that getting Zhane back here would come with consequence. I am ready, though, because I know that most likely it won't be Dark Specter. Dark Specter hardly ever goes after his wayward soldiers," Andros said.

Zhane looked at Andros. "Andros is right. It would be a bounty hunter, more than likely and they, despite being tough, would be fairly small in size. I served for two years with a bounty hunter and the ship I lived on with him was small. My bed was in a corner of the control room."

"But still we would have the teeth of the UAE here attacking us?" Carlos demanded.

"Yes, but I will tell you that I wouldn't let you fight alone. I want to help you and prepare you for any fight. I know battle tactics that you could never dream of. I would never dream of leaving you vulnerable," Zhane replied.

Karone looked up to Zhane. "I have you here in my arms. Can you and I just spend tonight together? I haven't really had you near me like this for eleven years."

"I know, I know. We have only had that time a few months ago but like you said it wasn't me and you, it was Ciarán using you." Zhane rubbed her back. "I don't want to lose you, either, Karone. I would be happy to have you in my arms forever, but you know as well as I that we most likely don't have forever."

"I know. It just hurts to know that as soon as tomorrow, it can all be gone." Karone rubbed her head into his shirt.

"I know, I know, all too well." Zhane rubbed her back again.

"We will take it one day at a time, Zhane." Ashley said, going up to support him. And as she walked back to the console she had been sitting at, she glared at Carlos as she passed.

Cassie nodded and looked at TJ. "I support you as well, Zhane. In fact, I think the two of you should take tonight and just spend it together."

Andros looked at the two of them. "Cassie, I support the thought behind that idea, but by Kerovian tradition they can't be alone."

TJ looked at Andros. "Just tonight, throw out the traditions that rule your people's lives."

Zhane stepping slightly away from Karone. "While I haven't grown up among Kerovian's, I respect all the traditions of my people. I want to spend time with Karone but I don't want to be alone with her. Being alone with her is supposed to be saved for when we are married."

Karone nodded and smiled at him holding his hand. "It is tradition to double date. Tonight, Zhane and I with TJ and Cassie in the ambassadorial quarters. We can have a lot of fun."

Carlos stood up and left command. "If you need me, I'm going planet side. I need to get out of here."

Zhane looked at Carlos' retreating form. "I knew he had a bit of a grudge against me, but is there something I don't know?"

"I don't know, but I know he is going to find himself in deep water pretty soon." Ashley watched his retreating form. "But never mind about him, Zhane. You two just enjoy your evening."

----

TJ and Cassie joined Karone and Zhane in the ambassadorial quarters that evening and stayed there till about midnight. They played games and watched a few movies.

At midnight Cassie yawned and looked at TJ. "Well, the two of us have school in the morning so we should probably get to bed. It was fun this evening, and I think we should do this again."

TJ agreed with her. "Yah, and I don't know about Cassie, but I have a test tomorrow so I really need to go over my text books for a few minutes before going to sleep."

Zhane rubbed Karone's cheek, and Karone looked up from where she had been resting on Zhane's chest.

Stifling a yawn, she replied, "I think sleep is a wonderful idea right now."

"Let me have the pleasure of seeing you to your door?" Zhane asked, picking her up in his arms.

"If you insist!" She smiled widely.

Cassie gathered up the trash and straightened the stack of games on the table. They had decided that as of now there wouldn't be anyone coming on board that would need use of the ambassadorial quarters that they would just use it for get evening together's seeing as they now had a courting couple on board.

They then left together, TJ helping Cassie to carry the trash and Zhane carrying Karone.


	16. least of your worries

AN: sorry about this but i am pretty sure I made the same stupid mistake I made on chapter 15.

* * *

Destiny of the Heart

Zhane slept better than the night before; he was asleep until DECA woke him. He joined everyone for breakfast and found Karone and Cassie in the kitchen cooking. "We didn't eat breakfast together yesterday."

"Well, we ate together last night just the four of us, so we decided we would cook a special breakfast this morning seeing as it is TJ's birthday and this is one of his favorite meals," Cassie responded as she stood at a griddle and flipped a pancake. "He told me when we started going out that his mom used to make on his birthday what she called heart attack on a plate. Fried eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. I want this to be the most perfect birthday ever." She paused. "Zhane, do you think you could get Ashley in here to help me? I already recruited Karone but we need to get this done fast."

"Sure, I can. I saw her a few minutes ago. I thought she was headed up here." Zhane looked out the door and he saw TJ. "Do you want TJ in here yet?"

"Ach, no. Take him somewhere else. Distract him. Do something, I don't know. This is supposed to be a surprise; he said he had a little bit more studying to do," Cassie said as she hid the griddle.

Zhane nodded and ran out the door. "Hey, TJ, could you come to the Simudeck with me? I wanted to know if you could show me how to better play that game we were playing last night."

Unfortunately, Carlos was there as well. "I'm sorry, but TJ and I were just going to grab a quick bite to eat and then head to school early. We have some studying to do in the library."

"Carlos, you can go on ahead. I did my research yesterday during my study hall." TJ turned to Zhane. "Sure, it would be my pleasure to teach you a bit more about basketball. It's one of my favorite pastimes besides baseball." He turned in the other direction and walked away from the mess hall.

As they walked down the corridor, Zhane saw Ashley. "Hey, Ash, Cassie was in the mess hall working on something. I think it was for a school project or something, but she wanted your help."

"Cassie doesn't have any school projects concerning food," TJ said, looking at Zhane. "I should know, I know her schedule backwards and forwards."

"I don't know, she just said it had something to do for school. I don't know much about Earth school so I just assumed it was like your project that Carlos was talking about," Zhane replied.

"I bet I know what it is!" Ashley smiled. "She was in trouble with Mr. Caplan all last year. Enough that is to find out that today is his birthday and that he doesn't get any recognition. Maybe she is making him a cake or something?"

"Okay, I didn't need to know that I shared a birthday with the principal." TJ paused and looked at Ashley again. "Wait, his birthday was last month. The chorus went to his office and sang for him. I was in the main office filling out some paperwork for the baseball coach."

"No, you must be mistaken, TJ. I am quite sure that today is his birthday," Ashley said as she turned and ran off in the opposite direction back towards the mess hall.

"Are birthdays a big thing on Earth? I saw from my observations that as long as the weather was nice there was a party type thing in the park almost every day and they would all sing the same song with Birthday in it."

"Yeah, birthdays are a huge event on Earth. All kids look forward to it because it means that they get more privileges. Like a little kid looks forward to being five because it means they get to go to kindergarten. Teens look forward to being sixteen because they can get their drivers licenses." TJ described it to him as they entered the Simudeck. He turned on the basketball simulation.

"I know that birthdays aren't a thing they do on KO-35. You just get another year older and that is it. You might move up a year in school and get more privileges. But I don't remember much about that process." Zhane frowned.

"What do you mean?" TJ said, picking up the basketball that stayed in the simulation room with other equipment that was used for simulations.

"I told Andros this, but my memories hardly survived totally intact. It's kind of hard for me to describe to you but if you really want to I can attempt to tell you." Zhane said as he walked onto the court.

"You know it is fine by me. Carlos is just being difficult right now and anyway, I know it can't be any easy task to survive with how you have had to survive. We are all just glad that Karone was able to find you." TJ nodded.

"Thanks, I just wish I wasn't such a weak link around here. I can help you with strategy but as far as leaving the ship until a solution comes up I am pretty much stuck here," Zhane said, watching TJ.

TJ stood in front of the basket and threw a shot. "I am sure we will think of something. The ship may be good sized seeing as it is a Zord in itself but I can imagine after a few days it must be getting confining."

"Well, it has been a day and a half so I don't think its enough time for cabin fever to set in," Zhane said, catching the ball on rebound and then throwing it back at the basket the same way TJ had.

The ball went through and TJ caught it. "What about the rebels? Karone knows where they are. As much as I am sure we would miss having you around, maybe you could be an asset to them?"

"I thought of that already. I would be too much of a risk to them if they were found again. Plus how would you get me to them, only Karone knows their location and getting the Megaship there would attract too much attention." Zhane caught the ball again and threw it back.

"You sure you have never played basketball before two nights ago? You are pretty good with regular throws," TJ commented.

"I have never played basketball; however, there were a few training exercises that had skills close to that of basketball. The thing that set apart those skills from basketball is that you actually want to play and can have fun with basketball. The skills not so much; actually, it was a death match." Zhane turned to TJ as he caught the ball again.

"What do you say about going back to the mess hall? School starts in less than an hour, and I do want to eat breakfast and get there still a bit earlier than normal."

"Uhh… I don't have a problem with that," Zhane said, looking at the door. He didn't want to ask DECA outright and he didn't have a communicator on him. Taking the ball from TJ, he said, "I'll put the ball away if you want to head up."

TJ nodded and left the room. Zhane walked to the wall where the supplies were kept and placed one hand on his locket and another on the bulkhead. _Okay, let's try this. I am Kerovian. I should have the ability to speak telepathically with Karone if our bond is as tight as we think it is._

"_Karone, can you hear me?"_

_"Zhane, are you there?"_ He sighed when he heard Karone's voice softly in his mind.

"_Yes, I wanted to tell you TJ is on his way there. I couldn't keep him any longer."_ He leaned against the wall. This took a lot out of him, having not done so since he was younger.

"_We are ready, anyway. Are you alright? When I hear you, you sound weak."_

_"I am fine, Karone. Don't worry about me," _he said, trying to reassure her.

"_If you say so, but you should stop now if you aren't used to talking telepathically. It can seriously wear you down and cause injury," _Karone responded.

"_Okay, I'll see you up there in a few minutes." _ He stopped and leaned on the bulkhead. He couldn't let Karone, much less Andros, see him like this. The others he wasn't too worried about; people on Earth hadn't figured out the complete ability of telepathy so they wouldn't realize what full out mental strain looked like.

After resting for a few minutes, he felt better and started walking back to the mess hall hoping he wouldn't be too late. He found everyone except Carlos here. Cassie was the first to notice his entrance as he tried not to disturb any of them.

"Hey, Zhane, you're just in time for some of this good food," Cassie announced as she set down another plate.

He noticed right off that a seventh stool had appeared since the last time he had been in there not more then a half hour before. Smiling, he made way to the seat next to Karone that was open and sat next to her.

Karone leaned in and kissed him on the side of his face and whispered, "You are totally not fine, Zhane. I can tell you have mental fatigue from a mile away. If you promise never to do that again without retraining your mind I will let it slide."

"Okay, okay, I promise," he said out loud, which got looks from Andros and a knowing glare in his direction.

Cassie and Ashley just looked at Zhane, and Ashley reached over feeling his forehead. "Zhane, are you feeling alright? You look a little on the ill side."

"He's fine," Karone said. "He just did a dumb untrained stunt with his mind before coming up here."

"Oh, Zhane you might want to watch yourself with Karone around; she isn't going to let anything happen to you." Cassie said taking a bite from her plate.

An hour later everyone was gone except Andros, Karone, and of course, Zhane. "Zhane, that was very foolish to do that. If you want to push your telepathic boundaries, you need to do it slowly. People have killed themselves doing what you did," Andros reprimanded him as they sat together.

"I admit that I haven't even known about my telepathic potential for the last eleven years. Would you work with me, Andros?" Zhane asked.

"I can't, but Karone can. She has the emotional bond with you to be able to connect. However, you will not do it today. Tomorrow will be the earliest you can do any sort of telepathic work because of the strain," Andros said, nodding to Karone.

"What, me?" She asked, wide mouthed.

"Karone, I will coach you as you need help, but Zhane is not related to me nor are we emotionally bound. The two of us cannot communicate via our minds. I can help with telekinesis but that is all I can help with," Andros said, laying a hand on his sister's shoulder before turning back to Zhane. "Today why don't we work on a few of the plans, and take advantage of a quiet day chore wise."

Nodding, Zhane replied. "That sounds to be a good plan. Karone, what do you think?"

"I think it will be a good idea for the two of you. I have to make some repairs on my glider and write a few reports. I will see you at lunch, alright?" She kissed him on the cheek and walked out, turning back at the door. "Oh, and Zhane? If you try to do that again, mind strain will be the least of your worries."

"Ha-ha, Karone, that is what you think." Zhane smiled.


	17. you could die

Destiny of the Heart

Later Zhane was on Command working with Andros on the strategies when he got up to move from one console to another he started to feel very light headed and ended up collapsing.

Karone walked on the deck just as it happened and screamed, "Zhane!" while running to his side, "Andros, Andros something is wrong with Zhane. He just fainted."

Andros spun around to see where Karone sat with Zhane's head propped in her lap, unconscious. "Karone, let's get him down to the med deck. I think there might be more than just mind strain wrong with him."

He picked up Zhane's unconscious form and carried him to the Megalift.

Once down there Andros called on Alpha to help him run some tests. He also shooed Karone out. "Please just go back to your room and write the reports; he is stable for now. I will call you if anything changes."

Karone hung her head. "Andros, Zhane is in trouble. I just want to sit here with him."

"Alpha and I need to do some tests. Having you sitting here would just put you in the way. I promise to call for you as soon as we find anything out," he coaxed and she walked out slowly with a nod.

"Ai-yi-yi, Andros, this is much more serious than a simple case of mind strain," Alpha announced, looking at the readout.

"Alpha, what is the diagnosis?"

"_Cumhacht__ Sainmhíniú_," Alpha said. Power deprivation.

"Is that possible? He has never held a morpher…"

"But he has held Dark Specter's powers. It's the same theory as your Ranger powers. You can receive your powers but the person giving them has to gradually remove the power from themselves beforehand or they essentially take themselves off cold turkey, as it is called on Earth, and can do a lot of harm to their bodies."

"Dark Specter thinks Ciarán is dead, so rather than having a dead soldier leeching his powers, he shut him off himself," Andros concluded, looking at Zhane lying still unconscious. "Is there anything we can do for him?"

"Not that I fully know of. I will have to look into it, but I know that from the original experiments with morphing powers Eltarian's who went this path had a thirty-seven percent chance of survival. Humans have never gone through with this seeing as you are fairly new to using the morphing powers and systems have been laid out since then. A few Triforians went through it when they first joined the Alliance and had a few men go through and they wound up with a twenty-three percent chance of survival," Alpha explained the risks.

"So we don't know exactly what the chances are for Zhane to pull through this." Andros looked at his friend.

What surprised Andros was when he looked over Zhane was sitting up. "Andros, what happened? And what are you talking about percentages for pulling though?"

Andros looked at Alpha, who replied, "I want to run a few more tests but I wouldn't say that it is safe to say he is out of the woods just yet."

"Zhane, earlier what you were feeling after communicating telepathically was not mind strain."

Zhane swung his legs off the side of the bed. "It wasn't? Do you have any clues as to what it could be?"

"It was the early symptoms of _cumhacht__ Sainmhíniú_. Your body was taken so abruptly from Dark Specter's powers that your body is having negative reactions to the loss," Andros said, filling Zhane in.

Zhane stood up. "Really? That is strange; I feel fine. Now, if you will excuse me, it has to be nearly lunch time and I did promise Karone I would eat with her."

"Ay-yi-yi, Zhane, this is serious stuff. It is likely that you never learned of it but humans have never been clocked on a rate of survival. Eltarians had a thirty-seven percent chance and Triforians had a twenty-three percent chance of actually surviving," Alpha said, putting down the readout he was looking at.

"For all you know, humans could be the ones to pull through. Haven't humans done so before with beating odds?" Zhane asked.

"Alright, Zhane, but you feel even the least bit dizzy or light headed you get yourself back down here," Andros ordered.

As Zhane left, Andros looked at Alpha. "What do you think?"

"I am not sure. It is a miracle that he is back up and awake. Anyone else that has been documented don't get up again until they have beaten the odds. Some do wake up, but they exhibit loss of abilities, for example paralysis of the body."

"So you do think he is out of danger then, don't you? You just said as much."

"It is possible but I don't think as likely. He is stubborn and has been raised to be stubborn because of how he was brought up," Alpha said.

"Is there a way to transfer or stop the process?" Andros said, sitting down at a console.

"None has been done effectively. They have tried several things but most of the afflictions recorded were of people giving up on morphers and just getting rid of them. Not of like Zhane, just being cut off because they thought he was dead."

"So there could be a way? We just have to find it." Andros nodded and went to work searching DECA's files for anything relevant.

Zhane, meanwhile, had made it to Karone's room and had made his presence known. He could hear Karone screaming inside, "Andros, I swear if this is bad news you are going to hear it for not letting me stay down there." The door opened and he got slapped with a slap that was intended for Andros. "Oh my gosh, Zhane," she gasped. "You're alright! Andros just let you walk off the med deck?"

She then slapped his cheek.

"What was that for?" he said, rubbing his cheek. "And no, Andros didn't want me to leave but as I told Ashley, I can't lie around and worry about what might be wrong with me."

"That was for scaring me like you did," Karone said, hugging him. "Do they know what it was?"

"What was what?" he asked, playing with her.

"Zhane, don't play smart with me."

"Essentially, I just passed out. Alpha seems to think it a big deal but I feel fine and was thinking about getting some lunch with my beautiful girlfriend." Zhane tried flattery.

"Zhane, please, if Alpha thinks it's serious it might just be. I want to have lunch with you as well, but you should be down on med deck just in case it is more serious then you think." Karone begged, "How about you go back down to the med deck and I will bring you something to eat, we can eat down there."

"Karone, I don't want to. Going there would mean me sitting around on the bed all afternoon," Zhane replied.

"That was an order, not a suggestion. Technically, here I outrank you and even tough I don't like pulling rank, I will on you. Here on the Megaship you are Kerovian citizen Zhane, son of Arian, not evil prince of the galaxy Ciarán Bevan." She gave him a death glare and turned him around, "Now go down there and stay where Alpha and Andros can keep a better eye on you."

Zhane rolled his eyes. "Fine, but only because I don't want to deal with you pulling rank on me."

Karone nodded. "Thank you, Zhane. I will bring a surprise to med deck in a few minutes."

Zhane nodded and started walking down to the med deck when he felt another dizzy spell. Shaking his head, trying to get it to go away like he had that morning, he continued to walk down to the med deck. He managed to get to the doorway when he collapsed. "Andros, I guess per your sister's orders I am checking back in." He smiled slightly as Andros got up to help him back up.

"Zhane, I told you it wasn't such a good idea to get up when we barely understood this condition." Andros held out his hand and Zhane took it, trying to stand up.

"Andros, something is wrong, I can't feel my legs." Zhane said as he tried to stand but was unable to do more than sit.

"Alpha said this was one of the symptoms, temporary paralysis. I need to get you up on the bed before you either lose consciousness again or it spreads." Andros said, picking Zhane up and setting him on the bed.

"I guess this means no more running away from here till this is solved?" Zhane asked jokingly.

Karone walked in. "Zhane, I just thought you should come back here. I didn't say you had to get back on a bed."

Andros shook his head. "He doesn't really have a choice in that matter; one of the side effects of his condition is temporary paralysis."

"Zhane, you told me that Andros didn't know what was wrong with you." Karone set down the tray she was carrying.

"Andros knows, but I don't completely understand. I didn't want to worry you where I didn't really understand."

Karone looked at Andros. "Tell me, please, brother. I can handle it."

"Power deprivation," Andros described. "When we freed him from Dark Specter, we made it seem like he died. Dark Specter in turn cut him off totally from his powers. I am surprised I didn't think of this earlier."

"Andros, it isn't your fault. How were you to know this would happen to me? This affliction has been taken care of for so long that no one except the computer banks know about the risk of removing powers so suddenly; it isn't even thought of," Zhane replied then looking at Karone. "How about that lunch now? I am not going to let some stupid problem take away from our lunch together."

Karone nodded. "I'm not very hungry right now but I will eat with you."

"No, Zhane, I should have known. I know to transfer Ranger powers you need a medium. I should have known it would be the same for you," Andros said, then looked at Karone. "It is your night to cook dinner, don't forget. I am going to work on some things and will check in frequently. You can stay here with him, just remember your chores."

"Yes, Andros, I will; don't worry," she said to Andros' retreating form. "Zhane, I will sit here with you the rest of the afternoon if I have to. I won't leave you in your time of need. After I cook dinner for the rest, I will come back here and sit with you till you get better."

Zhane rubbed the back of her head and smiled. "Thank you, thank you Karone." Andros hadn't had the heart to tell her the chance of survival, and he couldn't bring himself to tell her either.

She handed him the tray of food and they sat together laughing about what they would do once this had passed.

Alpha stayed in the room all afternoon doing various tests and, as promised, Andros popped his head in. Zhane remained stable for the afternoon, and when it was time for her to go make supper, she left willingly and with a smile on her face. Andros came back into the room soon after.

"Karone doesn't know how serious this is, does she?" He looked at Zhane.

"I didn't have the heart to tell her and besides, if she did, do you think she would leave me alone?" Zhane replied. "I didn't even tell her that the paralysis is getting more severe. I can't feel anything below my chest now."

"Zhane, you should have told me, at least. I do know that I won't go to bed tonight till I find a solution to this," Andros swore to Zhane as he sat at the terminal and brought up his research.

Ashley walked in. "Andros, I have been looking for you all afternoon," she said, rubbing his shoulders while looking at Zhane. "What are you doing down here? Karone is in the kitchen and I thought you would be connected to her as well."

"I kind of would be if it wasn't for the fact I have developed a certain condition that Andros overlooked when we made the plan to get me off the Dark Fortress."

"Zhane, oh no, what is wrong? I hope it wasn't my fault." Ashley said.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It's one of the side effects to unsafe removal of powers from the morphing grid," Zhane said, using his arms to slide down from his sitting position.

"So how long do you think you will be cooped up on that bed?" Ashley asked as she went over to a wall and grabbed a pillow to put under his head.

"I don't know. Ask Andros; he is trying to find a cure. There is a chance this could run its course, but the best estimate the computer has is a thirty-seven percent chance for Eltarians and a twenty three percent chance for Triforians." Zhane reiterated the percentages.

"Andros, do you think you can find a cure?" Ashley said, begging.

"I don't know. I have been looking all afternoon and so far nothing definite has shown up," Andros said. "But when you see Karone, she has no idea that this can be fatal."

"Alright, I won't tell her. Are you going to come to dinner?" Ashley asked Andros.

"No, I don't think I am. I want to try and work on this. The documents says that _cumhacht__ Sainmhíniú_ can move very fast so right now every minute counts," Andros said, looking at Zhane.

"Could you bring me down something to eat after, though?" Zhane asked, looking at Ashley. "I think I am going to take a nap. The room is spinning and it feels better if I close my eyes."

"Zhane, you probably should try to stay awake. It might be better if you can," Andros said, looking at him as he lay there with his eyes closed.

"I'll try to, but I can't make you any promises with the staying awake part. Wake me up in a few minutes if I do fall asleep, I'll try to keep talking to you as long as I am awake," Zhane said, as he lay there fighting sleep.


	18. healing

Destiny of the Heart

Karone was serving dinner and trying to stay calm. She wanted to be with Zhane, but she knew her brother wanted her to keep up with her chores. She wasn't married to him, anyway, so she should keep herself separate some of the time.

Carlos came in a little late. Since Zhane had changed sides, Carlos had been making himself scarce and she didn't know why. She noticed him looking around.

"What, lover boy not around tonight?" he asked as innocently as he took a seat in his spot. "I bet he got tired of being good and went back to the Dark Fortress to spill all of our secrets."

The second part was more vicious.

Karone slammed her bowl down on the table and stormed out, causing TJ to look at her. "Ashley, do you know what's got her put out?"

"Thanks, Carlos. Zhane is not here because he is on med deck. He is ill and Karone doesn't even know how bad it is. All I know is it is called _cumhacht__ Sainmhíniú_; he could die from it if a cure isn't found," Ashley said, making sure Karone wasn't near the door.

"What do you mean _cumhacht__ Sainmhíniú_?" Cassie whispered.

"All I know is what Andros told me, it's a serious condition that hasn't really reared up in at least a thousand years because the Eltarians figured out how to stop it," Ashley whispered back.

----

Karone, meanwhile, was headed back down to the med deck, crying. Carlos had been totally out of line and she would have to have a talk with Andros about what to do with him. She didn't want Zhane to see her crying so she dried her eyes and put a smile on her face. Once she was confident she could go in and not look like a trainwreck, she did. She smiled to find Zhane asleep, at least someone could get some rest. Right now all she wanted to do was punch Carlos for being a jerk. She remembered the one time she actually did hit him; it had felt so good to reward him for hitting on her.

Walking over to Andros, she placed her hand on the back of his chair causing him to jump. "Karone, is dinner over already?"

"No, I walked out. Carlos was being a jerk and I just can't handle him anymore. What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Researching Zhane's condition. Trying to see if there is a cure besides making him let it run its course," Andros said, looking at her and knowing he couldn't get her to leave this time.

"You said _cumhacht__ Sainmhíniú_, right? Well his body is suffering from lack of morphing grid energy present in his body, right?" Karone asked. "What about the Digimorpher? Couldn't we just reintroduce his body with the energy from that? We would have to do it slowly because the energy is a different type."

Andros didn't hear her theory at first. "The problem is his body is used to the dark energy of Dark Specter, not the light energy that is in the morphers."

"Andros, you're not listening to me, I know it is a different type, but the article you're reading here says the same energy needs to be replaced at a rapid pace but what if you were to reintroduce slowly the lighter energy? Zhane's body might take it without rejecting it if it is deprived," Karone debated.

"I see your point, but I am not sure it would work. Let me do some more research. You might have something, though. Could you go get me the Digimorpher?" Andros asked, which was answered by running feet.

While she was gone he searched her theory, getting a result which he knew would make her day. It could be done, but it was risky; he would have to install a limiter in the morpher first, but he knew Karone knew how. One of her specialties was being able to create things to control the morphing grid, which was not an easy feat.

"Andros, I brought supper for you, Zhane, and Karone. Cassie volunteered to clean up and TJ is yelling at Carlos for being such a pain," Ashley said, filling him in while handing him a plate. "How is he? I see he fell asleep after all."

"Yes, I lost out on that battle of keeping him awake, so I am just keeping a close eye on his vitals." Andros said. "Karone went to get something from storage, but she actually came up with the idea. If it wasn't for her I would've read right over the theory," he said, pointing it out to her.

"Andros, I have it." Karone said, tossing the device to him. "Do you think my idea will work?"

"It will, but I need you to do something to it first. The energy output needs to be limited to a very gradual stream," Andros said, looking at her.

Karone gasped. "You, my oh-so-careful older brother, are giving me permission to mess with the morphing grid? Don't you normally yell at me when I use my intelligence to mess around with something so dangerous?"

"Yes, I do, but I am going to over look it just this once. Now just get to it before I change my mind," Andros said. He shook his head. "Oh, and eat something while you are at it? I am going to wake Zhane up, but I want you focused on your task and not him right now."

Ashley helped Zhane eat his dinner, seeing as he had started to lose feeling in his arms. "Ashley, really, I feel like a young child with you feeding me. I don't even feel hungry; all I have done this afternoon is lay here on this bed."

"Zhane, you have to eat. Andros ordered it; he and Karone found a cure that they are working on," Ashley said, wiping his mouth. "I'm not that bad at feeding, am I?"

"No, but it is still embarrassing. I would hate it if I was stuck like this for the rest of my life," Zhane muttered.

"I was told that it was temporary and that most other people that suffered it and survived regained their ability to walk," Ashley smiled, then looked at his legs. "I have a cousin who is paralyzed. Would you mind if I did so exercises with your legs? She taught me how to do them one time when we were at a family reunion. They keep her legs from getting too stiff."

"Sure, go ahead. I don't see what the rush is, though," Zhane muttered as Ashley took his legs and did the motions she had been taught. She stopped when Andros and Karone walked back on to the deck.

"Zhane, I have wonderful news!" Karone shrieked with excitement. "Here, take this." She handed him the Digimorpher.

"What is this?" He looked it over, not taking it from her.

"It was your dad's morpher. I had to do some rewiring to it but it should work now for what you need it to do. You won't be able to morph with it but it should help you get better." She placed it in his hand and wrapped his fingers around it.

"I can't take this, I haven't earned it," Zhane muttered as he felt the form of it in his hand. He was about to drop it back in her hand when he realized his finger tips were tingling and feeling coming back into them.

It was a slow process but by the time Karone went to bed the paralysis had retracted back down to his chest. It was definitely a lot slower than when it had come on. It took four hours to retract what had happened in less then an hour. His vision had also stopped spinning and soon after Karone left he ordered the lights to be shut off and he fell asleep with the morpher clipped to his belt.

He was awakened to Karone's cheerful voice sitting beside him the next morning. "Hey, how do you feel this morning?"

"Awful. These beds are not the ideal place to sleep. I have been laying here since yesterday," he complained. "In other news, I think I can sit up on my own again." With that, he sat up without pushing up with his arms as much as he had the afternoon before. "My recovery is taking longer than it took for this to develop."

"I had to put a very high limiter level on the morpher. Otherwise it could cause your body to go into shock, seeing as your body is used to dark energy," Karone said, punching his arm playfully.

She jumped to a cough from someone standing behind her. She turned to find Carlos.

"Hi, Carlos," she uttered through clenched teeth.

"Hi… Um… I know right now I am not your favorite person, Karone. I have been quite rude to both you and Zhane. I am very sorry and TJ knocked some sense into my head," Carlos apologized. "Zhane, I guess I had my head screwed on wrong and I just couldn't see you as one of us. I could only see you as the ruthless and relentless Ciarán."

Zhane nodded. "I know where you are coming from. It took me a while to actually see that you guys were in the right. Part of the reason it took me two weeks to finally convince myself to defect my station. I was fighting Ciarán then just as he is fighting my mind now."

Carlos nodded. "Karone I have said my piece and I promise to not be so rude from now on. I know I don't deserve an apology from you but I wanted you to know." He turned to leave.

"I am sorry as well, Carlos. I never tried to talk anything out with you," Karone muttered to his retreating form.

"I can't wait to get off of this bed and back around the ship." Zhane said, looking at his legs. "I have never been confined to a bed this long in my life and right now I just want down."

"That's all you've been able to talk about this morning, isn't it? This has to be a big bother to you." Karone grinned as she picked something up. "You have to be able to move your legs first but Ashley got these from a friend. They are walking sticks and might be the key to your freedom a bit sooner than without them." She looked at her watch. "I need to go now. I'll be back in a few hours; Ashley and Cassie gave me a shopping list of things they need for the kitchen for meals for the next week," Karone said with a smile.

----

Karone returned a few hours later as promised. "How are you doing now, Zhane?"

"I feel alright and think I want to try to get out of here," Zhane said, eyeing the walking sticks. "Not sure if I want to reduce myself to them but how much lower can I get than Ashley feeding me last night?"

Karone smiled and laughed. "Zhane, you are too much. I have to go put away the groceries now."

"Help me up, I might not be able to do much but I just need to get out of here. I think I am going to go crazy if I stay here even a moment longer." Zhane stretched with his arms and pushed his legs off the side of the bed.

"Zhane, really. You can really hurt yourself if your legs aren't strong enough," Karone protested.

"Karone, hold onto me. I am going to need some support."

"Zhane, please don't be stubborn," she begged. "I don't want to have to pull rank on you again."

"Karone, I need this. I need to be up doing things. It is who I am. I have only lain here for this long because I haven't had a choice in the matter."

"Fine, but you know if Andros sees you he will just tell you to get back down here. As far as I know neither he nor Alpha have given you the go ahead to leave." She stood in front of him and let him put all his weight on her. He was a good deal heavier than she was, but though she struggled she stood as strong as she could drawing on her inner fighting strength to hold him.

Once he was steadied leaning on her, she handed him the walking sticks and then held onto him while he repositioned his weight to his arms and was able to hold himself up. "Alright, I think I can do this now." He took a few slow steps. "Alright, I can handle this, just stay near me just incase."

"Oh, I was planning on doing so. I can tell you can just barely handle standing upright. This goes against my every judgment but I know there will be no keeping you down on your back so I will go along with this for now," Karone said, walking a few feet from his side as they slowly made their way to mess hall.

It took a good ten minutes with several stops and a few near falls, but Zhane refused to allow Karone to turn him back. Karone found a folding chair that had been brought in the room for some reason and she set it up, making Zhane sit in it and rest. "I want you to stay there while I put the groceries away."

She was about half of the way done when her communicator beeped, _"Karone, do you know where Zhane is?"_

"Yeah I do. He is sitting here with me. I am in the kitchen putting things away."

"_He walked there on his own?"_

"Well, sort of."

"_Sort of?"_

"I had to help him a little bit and he used walking sticks that Ashley got from a friend." She finished as Andros walked in though the door.

"Zhane, you could've hurt yourself."

"I know, but I had to get out of there. It's not any fun to stay cooped up down there. I was going to go crazy and then I would've done more danger to myself than I did by coming up here," Zhane argued as he stood up with the walking sticks.

His legs collapsed underneath him.

Andros helped him back in the chair. "Zhane, this was why I thought you should have stayed on the med deck. You body has gotten used to the flow from the morpher. I need to change the limiter setting." Andros unsnapped the morpher and made a few adjustments. "There, that should be better. We need to watch carefully as well. Your body is used to the corrupted power the UAE pulls from not the untainted power on the light side of the morphing grid. It is like a patient with a transplanted organ except you don't need to take anti rejection medicines but your body can still reject it."

"I'll live. I just can't be laying around doing nothing for ever. You took me onboard, Andros. Knowing the risks you can't just let me be a leech," Zhane protested.

"Zhane, you have used that argument so much that soon I am going to stick you back on med deck just to get you out of my hair because you are being annoying," Andros muttered before looking at DECA's camera. "DECA, can you monitor Zhane and keep me or Karone notified on any drastic change in his vitals?"

"Andros, define drastic?" DECA responded.

"I don't know… a rapid increase or if you notice it go above or below safe levels," Andros replied then looked at Zhane. "That is for your own safety where you insist to be up and about."

"Fine. I think I can live with that and it's not like I am going to be going far very fast." Zhane stretched his legs.

Ashley walked into the room, hugging him. "Zhane, it's good to see you up and about."

"If you can call it that. I can still only do so much. Is it me or are you back early?" Zhane said, accepting the hug.

"I got out of school early today. I had a study hall so I signed out of school. I had some things to help Andros with and then I have to go home for the night. My cousin is visiting and specifically requested my presence." She stood up and leaned her head on Andros' shoulder.

"You ready?" Andros asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I can't wait for this." Ashley said, taking his hand as she started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Karone said, coming over with a can that she was in the process of putting away.

"I'm going out with Ashley and checking some of the data you, Zhane, sent me on possibilities of Zordon's location. We have been sitting idle and it is time for us to start doing our part in the war again," Andros said.

"I agree that you should be getting back out there. You may have taken Ciarán out but there are still plenty of warlordss that are holding stakes in this war." Zhane sighed. "I am longing to get out and do my part to help the war. I know what you're going to say, Andros, and I know it myself all too well."

"I know, but we can only keep you here so long. One of these days the ship is going to feel like a prison like the med deck was getting to be after just one night," Andros agreed. "We'll worry about that once your strength is back to full. You couldn't fight a quanatron in the condition you're in."

"Thanks that is making me feel a lot better," Zhane said sarcastically. "Now, you said something about a mission."

"Come on, Andros. I think Karone can handle Zhane for a few hours. I have to be at home for tonight." Ashley tugged at his arm.

"Alright, you're right, let's go." Andros nodded and they left.


	19. Artististic awakenings

Destiny of the Heart

The next morning Zhane woke up in his own room, having gone to bed early being worn out from trying to get his strength back. Moving his head out so he wouldn't hit his head, he was able to sit up and he pulled himself up until he was standing, and took a few shaky steps over to his desk. His episode two days before had sapped him of most of his energy. Karone had adjusted the limiter the night before up another step.

Sitting down, he fingered the morpher. Its design was different from that of the other Rangers, clipping to his belt rather than his wrist and he figured it was much more discreet. Putting it back on his belt, he stood back up and reached for the bed. He held onto it as he walked.

When he got to the end of the bed, he reached for the wall and walked close to it. He had had enough of the walking sticks and the others taking pity on him.

Out in the corridor, he looked around there was no one else about so either he had slept in or they hadn't even got up yet. Either way it would allow him to do what he needed to in the bathroom and then get up to the mess hall without everyone staring and asking if he needed help. He didn't want to admit it but he had a problem with being considered weak.

Getting to the mess hall a little faster then it had taken him with the walking sticks to get from there down to his room. As he walked his steps had gotten more confident. His legs still felt a bit weird almost if they were asleep. Essentially they were asleep but it was weird to think of them like that, they were his legs after all.

Cassie was awake and doing some work at the table evidently not able to work in her own room she had come up here to do it. Not wanting to appear weak to her he pulled away from the bulkhead and took a slow steady steps as he walked into the room. "Good morning Cassie!"

"Oh my Zhane are you alright? And good morning I guess to you too what time is it?" She said jumping up while pulling out a stool and helping him to it.

"I guess it didn't work, I was trying to make it look like I was good and didn't need any help. Its been over a day since Karone found away to cure my little issue and I still can't feel my legs one hundred percent and it is kind of irking me. It happened so fast but its taking forever to fix itself."

"I can imagine how hard it must be and frustrating but you just need to be patient. I have watched many people get frustrated; I used to help out at the hospital for volunteer credits by working with the physical therapists." She then smiled and continued, "It only takes a second to break a bone but a month to heal. My grandmother would tell me that every day when I was a girl."

"Thanks I think that makes me feel a bit better." Zhane said rubbing his face. "Although it doesn't change things I was raised as Ciarán and sitting still this long was viewed as a weakness."

"Just sit back and close your eyes for a moment. You need to listen for the small things in life. This might provide you with that opportunity. Now just close your eyes and listen deeply. Tell me what you hear." She instructed

Zhane closed his eyes and did as she told, "I hear the hum of the engine." He opened his eyes, "What is new the engines hum is something that is always present around here."

"No you need to listen deeper below the engine's hum." Cassie smiled

"I don't hear…" he broke off giving it a try, "I hear foot steps down at least a deck from here."

"Ok that was a start but see how once you got past the obvious you heard more? You just need to learn to savor life for what it is and not what it has to be." Cassie encouraged looking at her watch, "I need to go get ready for school, I am sure the others will be awake soon." She said gathering her things and running out the door.

Turning back to the table he noticed she had left a blank piece of paper and a pencil on the table. Looking the paper over to find it indeed blank he didn't even think about it just picked up the pencil and started to sketch the first thing he thought of.

_A five year old sat on a bench in a park he wore a grey and black jump suit. The jump suit on the shoulder and waist had strips of silver. In his hands was a sketch pad his other hand was holding a writing utensil. As couples walked past they paused to see what he was doing and would stop and whisper before proceeding on their way._

"_Zhane what are you doing?" A girl wearing a mostly white jump suit said jumping on the bench. Her dirty blonde hair looked like she had tried styling it herself and was messy._

"_I'm drawing Karone." the boy replied as he shaded something in, "I like to draw."_

"_I do too, when teacher gives me paper and colored wax I like to draw pictures of my family. Your picture needs some color though, I have a red piece of wax in my pocket do you want it?" the girl smiled as she pulled from her pocket the lump, "I was coloring before mother sent me and 'Dros to the park."_

"_I don't need any color my mother told me to try and draw a pretty picture with just my black ink. She said it would look just like the ones hanging in the central museum." Zhane replied finishing the touches on the flower he was drawing._

"_Oh…" Karone said looking around, "Hey Andros found a few kids from our school looks like they are going to play a game. Do you want to play with them?" Karone jumped off the bench_

"_Sure let me just close this." Zhane said closing the pad up and following Karone._

Zhane finished drawing the sketch that he had started doing and was shocked at what was on the paper. The drawing seemed almost life like. He was staring at a picture of him and Karone as kids in the park.

Karone walked in and rubbed her hand on his shoulder, "You walk up here on your own power?"

"Yeah, I couldn't stand the walking sticks any longer." Zhane replied setting down the pencil

"What were you drawing?" Karone said kissing the top of his head as she stood on her tip toes to reach.

"Cassie was here and she left a piece of paper. I just reached for it and started to draw without even really thinking about it." He handed it to her he didn't think anything of the picture until Karone dropped the picture and fell to the ground in laughter.

"Zhane my word you remember that day?"

"I don't know I just started to draw it out." Zhane said picking up the paper.

"I remembered that day I was four and it was about a year before the day you…" she stopped and looked to the ground. "Mother had let me do my hair that day and I found you in the park drawing. You had a talent for drawing and being able to sit still to draw anything that caught your attention. Your mother still has several of the pictures hanging up around your house and I believe that there are a few of them in the central city museum."

Zhane looked at Karone, "you mean those lead and ink drawings around the house were mine?"

Karone nodded, "After you were taken someone saw them and thought they were your mothers but she said that they were yours. They deemed you a child prodigy."

"Wow, I never thought I was famous for my drawings." Zhane muttered, "I guess even though it's been eleven years I haven't lost that talent."

"Most definitely not, if anything I think it has improved, you're sure you haven't drawn in the past eleven years?" Karone looked at him

"I am sure; Drawing is something Ciarán was not into. I think I drew something once and it included decapitated rangers." Zhane said

"Ok I would rather not know that last bit but alright." Karone said looking at her hand, "Hey I'll be back shortly; I am going to see Ashley for a minute."

"She is at her own home isn't she?" Zhane asked looking at her

"Yes but she asked me to come wake her up. Her cousin was staying in her room so she wasn't sure if she would be able to use her alarm or not." Karone said walking out of the room leaving him alone again.

Cassie walked back in dressed in her school clothes. She went to the synthatron and ordered a hot drink, "Hey Zhane you want something to drink?"

"Yeah sure, you headed to school?"

"Oh yeah you know it. I am not too excited though I have a French test today." Cassie said, "What would you like to drink?"

"What ever, a cup of Triforian tea would be good though." Zhane replied looking at the piece of paper

Cassie soon brought it over, "here you go Triforian tea! Did you draw this?"

"Oh um yes, yes I did. You left the paper behind when you left and I just sort of started to draw on it. I hope you didn't need it for anything"

"Nah it was just going to be used for scrap with my math homework but I ended up not using it. This is very good though; the kids are, let me guess, you and Karone?"

"Yes it is." Zhane said looking at it again

"It's very good I can tell it's you and what is with Karone's hair?" she laughed

"I just drew the first thing that came to mind. Karone was four; she did her own hair that day." He laughed as he really got looking at her hair and how ratted it looked.

Karone walked back in with a bag in her hands, "Here Zhane I got this for you." he noticed she was dressed in street clothes

"Did you really go see Ashley?" Zhane said taking the bag from her

"Yes she helped me get this while she was on her way to school." Karone smiled, "I hope you like it."

Cassie looked at her watch, "Oh shoot I am going to be late." She ran out the door and disappeared down the corridor."

"You didn't have to get me anything Karone." Zhane said with a smile

"I know but I wanted you to have this. I thought it might help being cooped up here on the ship a bit more."

Zhane pulled the contents out "A drawing pad and some pencils?" he looked them over and opened the pad "Thank you Karone, I love you too." He leaned and kissed her on the cheek.

As he kissed her he lost his balance on the stool and fell to the ground causing her to laugh at him, "Oh my goodness Zhane are you alright?" She reached for his hand and pulled him up, "I am so sorry."

"What are you sorry for? I am the one who fell; not you." he said leaning on the table before sitting back on the stool. "I know one way you can pay me back though."

"Yeah?" she asked looking at him

"Yes, now get on that stool and sit still." Zhane ordered to which she obeyed and he pulled out a pencil and started to sketch her sitting there.

Andros was walking by and saw this going on, "Karone what are you doing?" he asked looking over his sisters shoulder

"Zhane is drawing my picture; he rediscovered his talent for drawing this morning." Karone grinned trying not to move too much

"Hey Karone turn your head and pretend to kiss Andros on the cheek." Zhane smiled as he motioned

Karone did that which caused Andros to stare at his sister strangely, "Karone it is engine cleaning day, you know DECA doesn't like dirty engines."

"I know but let Zhane finish this sketch; you remember how good he was back when we were little kids?"

"Yes, he had to be the best artist I knew." Andros agreed

"Andros, hold still just a bit longer and let me finish this, then I will help you with the cleaning." Zhane said which he then went back to drawing.

Ten minutes later he turned the pad around, "Sorry it took so long but here my new sketch Sisterly Love." Zhane presented it to the two of them

"Wow Zhane I am impressed your skill hasn't diminished one bit in the last eleven years." Andros said taking the pad, "It's gotten a lot better too, this would put your pictures that made it to the museum to shame."

"I am sure that is an exaggeration, it has been eleven years since I last drew anything." Zhane took the pad back and then stood up, "Now I said I would help you with your chores, I am done being a dead weight around here and I am going to help you whether you let me or not."

Andros sighed, "You are determined aren't you? I guess I can't stop you though how are you on your feet?" Andros asked as Zhane slowly walked to the recycler to put the mug in it.

"I'm still a bit shaky but I am a lot better then last night." Zhane replied following them through the ship trying to keep up with the two of them. They walked a bit slower to allow him to catch up.

* * *

Well I guess my writting please review in the

corner doesn't work anymore so Please review

V


	20. Peter the silver ranger

Chapter Twenty

The next afternoon, after the other Rangers had gotten back from school, they were all sitting on Command doing scans. Zhane had taken a seat at an auxiliary station and was assisting, not wanting to be treated any different from the others.

All was quiet till, rather unexpectedly, the alarms went off, alerting them to a disturbance in the city. "Someone has sent a monster down and it is attacking the city."

The six of them got up and left

Andros turned to Zhane. "See what you can find out about who might have sent the monster."

"I'll try, but there is no way to really trace a monster's allegiances, and if they have taken over the Dark Fortress, they probably have my quantrons serving them, so…"

"Okay, I get the picture, just give it your best shot. We would like to know who we are up against." Andros then ran from the room along with the others.

Zhane turned and got to work scanning energy output from the monster while watching the battle on screen. All the Rangers were taking a beating and he had to admit whoever supplied this monster was not someone to lay back and evaluate.

After getting bashed around for about five minutes, he noticed Andros said something to Karone, who in turn, disappeared. He didn't understand until she showed up on board.

"Zhane, we need your help down there. Andros is the one who suggested it."

"What am I going to do? I will get caught if I show my face down there, right now you are doing good and they think I am dead," Zhane said, standing up.

"You have the Digimorpher. I can take the limiter off it and you will be free to morph," Karone said, holding out her hand and grabbing the tool box from below one of the consoles.

Zhane handed it to her. She took it and did something to it, taking a device out of it before closing it back up and handing it back to him.

"Okay, so I can morph but what about my voice? Surely it will be recognizable," Zhane said, taking the morpher back into his hands.

Karone reached under the console again. "Put this on your ear. It's one of the voice synthesizers from special ops missions that used to be run off the Megaship before the war."

Zhane put the device on. "Okay, how does this thing work? My voice doesn't sound any different."

"Silly, you have to turn it and then I have to modulate it to distort your voice," Karone said, making the adjustments. "Speak to me, Zhane."

Zhane talked with to her until his voice was modulated to sound like a real voice. "Wow, I sure don't sound like me right now."

"Yes, I would be fooled right now about who you were if I hadn't designed that voice pattern." Karone smiled before pulling out her morpher. "Oh, one more thing. Andros was going to tell the others to call you by another name. I think he was thinking along the lines of Peter."

"Okay… so I guess I am going to be Peter the Silver Ranger." Zhane smiled slightly. "I am the master of names now, I guess."

He followed Karone off the deck and jumped down her glider tube hitching a ride on the back of her glider. "Be careful how you fight. Try not to give off your own personal style quite so much," she said as they sped towards Earth.

Once they arrived at the battle site, they heard, "Guys, I managed to convince that friend of yours, Carlos, to join us."

The monster stared as the five Rangers stood up again. "What? I thought I put you down for the count and having seven Rangers doesn't matter. The odds are still in my favor."

Zhane stepped in. "You sure are a cocky one, aren't you? Super Silverizer blade mode," he announced, letting his weapon materialize on his arm before charging at the monster, ramming his blade through before falling back behind the others.

His blow had greatly weakened the monster and the others were able to finish him off. He was made to grow before he was fully finished, though, so he fell back with Karone and took the Astro Megazord while the others took the Mega Voyager.

In the cockpit, he had one side and she had the other. "Whew, that was fun, wasn't it?"

"If you say so. I have seen my fair share of the battles, so they aren't necessarily exciting anymore; they are just a way of life for me now. And speakers are on so they can hear us so keep on speaking, playboy," Karone teased.

"Who is the playboy around here?" he teased, knowing she was calling him that as a cover act.

Zhane maneuvered the Megazord and the battle was soon over. After reforming the Megaship, Zhane and Karone rejoined everyone in the locker room.

"Zhane, you were awesome out there. If I hadn't known it was you Karone was going to get, I would never have guessed that it was you." Ashley smiled, her hair bouncing in curls around her Ranger suit.

Zhane took off his helmet. "Thanks, I was unsure of whether I could pull this off but there didn't seem to be any indication of recognition from them," he said until he realized he was still wearing the synthesizer and everyone was staring. "Oops, sorry about that." As he took it off, his voice went back to normal. "So I guess you have a new Ranger, at least for now."

Andros nodded. "Definitely. Welcome to the team, Zhane, or should I say Peter? Although I think that for now, just until we are sure that no one knows, you only come in as a reserve."

"I was thinking that as well. If I were to fight in every battle, they might be able to pick out that there is somewhat a similarity in my fighting style to Ciarán's. I can only change my ability so much."

Cassie walked up. "It will still be good to have you able to fight with us, and it will give you something to do once in a while so you can actually get off the ship."

----

A month and a half passed and Zhane had stayed free during that time. He had fought along side the other Rangers. He had agreed to the terms that had been brought up when he was first asked to morph. He stayed on the ship except for when he left to assist the Rangers and only stayed planet side as long as it took him to battle before going back to the ship. As far as he knew, Dark Specter didn't know he was still alive.

However, a day came when he was sitting on Command watching the scanners and a disturbance was reported. He called for the others but found that there was another disturbance in another location. "Andros, there is a disturbance at the shore and another one in the warehouse district."

"Zhane, you take the one in the warehouse with Karone and the rest of us will take the one on the shore," Andros decided after a few minutes.

"Alright, just give me a minute to get suited up and I will be down." He jumped up excited to see some action and went to get the voice synthesizer from his locker. After doing a voice check to make sure everything was normal with the device, he morphed and joined Karone in the warehouse district.

"Karone, anything you have been able to pick up?" he asked her as he looked around.

"Nothing, Peter." She responded, using his alias. "I am beginning to think this was a trick to separate the team."

"I agree, let's go to the shore and assist the others. Something big is probably going to go down if they tried this trick." They had started to run for the gliders when a voice called out from behind Zhane.

"Thought this was a trick, did you? I am ashamed at you, my prince."

Karone was ahead of Zhane and had already taken off so she didn't see that Darkonda was confronting him.

"You are probably wondering how I knew who you were? I must say I was convinced that you actually were Peter for a little while, but you, Ciarán, were just a little too good at pretending to be somebody else."

Zhane turned slowly to face Darkonda. "I don't know what you mean, beast. You must have me mistaken for someone else. I surely don't know a prince, I just know that I was asked to take this morpher and assist the Rangers on occasion."

"Oh yes. That is why I ran a voice check on everyone here in Angel Grove and no one has your voice frequency. After playing with this device, I was able to figure out that you were being clever to mask your voice." Darkonda pressed the device on his hand and everything he had Zhane had just said came back to him in clear with his real voice.

Zhane, knowing he was beaten, admitted it and demorphed, standing in front of Darkonda clearly in shock.

Karone, having realized Zhane had not been behind her, returned to see him standing there unmorphed in front of Darkonda. She hid, not wanting to provoke Darkonda with Zhane demorphed.

"Now my Prince, come quietly and I will see to it that nothing worse than a brainwashing happens to you. You come and I will talk Dark Specter into letting you live; in fact, you might have some very valuable information running though that head of yours," Darkonda said, taking a few steps forward.

"I will never go back to the Dark Fortress. You will just have to kill me, because I will fight you till I die. So either way I will not go alive." Zhane pulled out the Digimorpher and started to press his morphing code.

"You will have to do better than that, young prince, because you will go alive whether you like it or not. I have orders to bring you in alive whether you come peacefully or being dragged kicking and screaming." Darkonda made a signal and a massive horde of quantrons appeared from behind crates.

Karone gasped. They had been using a masking agent so that it had seemed like there had been nothing more then a slight disturbance. She watched with fear as they circled Zhane and knocked his morpher from his hands. The morpher went flying and she ran to the battle. Zhane was in trouble, and she just couldn't stay away.

"Zhane!" she yelled and started to kick some quantrons while scooping up the Digimorpher. However, the quantrons grabbed her around the chest and held her so she couldn't get to him.

"My prince, you come with us without fighting too much and she will go unharmed. I know it was always your wish to not see the beautiful girl under that helmet hurt," Darkonda said, walking over to her and placing a finger where her cheek would be.

Zhane looked to the ground, then looked to Karone with down cast eyes. "Alright, you win, but you must let her go and walk away from her," he said, making a deal in his strong, rule making voice. "I am sorry, Karone, but I know we will be together again. We have had over a month together, and that has been the most special time to me."

The quantrons grabbed him and disappeared in a flash of light. Karone collapsed on the ground holding his morpher. Crying, she stayed that way till Andros and the others came to check on her after taking down what had actually been the diversion.

"Karone, what happened here? Where is Zhane?" Andros said, helping her up.

"He is gone. Darkonda came and took him. He knew all along that Zhane was the Silver Ranger," Karone said in shock.

Andros picked her up and held his heartbroken sister tight. "It will be alright, Karone. We will rescue him. You will see, we will find out what will happen to him and get him away from them." He teleported back to the ship and after making her demorph, he held her tight knowing what she was going though, when their parents had broken it to her eleven years ago that Zhane was gone she had had the same emotional breakdown.


	21. the pain of evil

Destiny of the Heart

Zhane woke up rubbing his forehead, was it all a dream? He then looked around. He wasn't in his room on the Megaship; he was in the room he had hoped never to see again, his room on the Dark Fortress. The last he remembered was being dragged from the warehouse by quantrons.

Sitting up in bed, he rubbed his forehead even more. What was with this headache, it felt like something was drilling into his brain and it hurt really bad. He started wracking his brain. _Alright, Darkonda, so this is your version of brainwashing. What did you do, nitwit, actually wash my brain?_

The thought made him smile, which made it, hurt even more. He started to rub his right temple, which he found made the pain a bit more bearable. Going to rub his left one, he didn't quite reach it when he brushed something metal jutting out of the side of his face. He began to trace it before throwing himself down and screaming into his pillow, partially from agony and partially from hatred of himself.

After a few minutes of screaming, he sat up and tried to discern what purpose the device might have other then making him scream in agony. He realized he was still himself and that he should at least make the attempt to tell Karone he was alright. For all he knew, they could be planning a rescue attempt.

As he stood up, he felt the pain increase and he could feel the ruthlessness of Ciarán pour through him. _How stupid_, he thought, _they must have a tracer on me and know what I am doing. They lured me into a false security; made me think I was alright, so when I get up I get hit full force of whatever they are doing to me_.

The pain was so bad he nearly collapsed. He could feel the evil pour through him and start trying to rip him to pieces. He fought, and he fought hard, remembering the memories that he had made in the last month, the things the farthest from what Ciarán stood for. He felt he had a few more minutes so he, in his agony crawled to his desk, and opened one of his secure comm channels. He realized by looking at the picture that issued forth from the monitor that he looked awful any and all color had drained from his face, leaving him an ashen white color. He would surely frighten Karone, but she had the right to know what was happening to him. He recorded the message and in his last minutes of saneness, he hit send before the pain, which had been gradually growing worse, became so bad that he found himself on the floor, writhing in agony that now shot through his whole body.

----

Andros was on Command running scans to see if he could find any trace of Zhane. He had just gotten Karone to rest, and she was asleep in one of the chairs there on Command when the console started to beep with a message received. Karone woke up to the sound and pressed the play button on the console.

"_Karone, I am glad I get this opportunity to say goodbye. I am sorry we couldn't have more time. At least they didn't kill me, however, they are, as I speak, brainwashing me. I don't have long, but I want you to know I loved you. Do me a favor and don't cry over me. I have faith that one day we will be able to see each other again. I will try to fight for as long as I can but I fear the next time we face each other, it will be as enemies. They can brainwash my mind but they cannot erase the imprint of you that is forever stamped on my heart."_

He smiled briefly, but it was small and weak and quickly twisted back into a look of pure agony. He resumed his message_, "Farewell, my love, and I will get through this we have a future together. You had faith in me, now I am asking you to continue that and just smile when you think of me, just be happy. I don't have long, Karone. I can't hold on much longer. I need to send this shortly, but before I do this next part is for Andros's ears only, so please, my darling, walk out of the room and forget how I look now, remember only our happy time together."_

Karone got up and obediently left, even though Andros could tell that it was not a willing leave. Pausing the playback, he called through his communicator for Ashley to meet her on her way down and to stay with her. Hitting the play button again, he listened to the rest of the message.

"_Andros, I want you to know if it comes down to it you may have to kill me. I am afraid that the new and improved Ciarán will be more ruthless than I ever was in the past, no matter what I hope with all my heart that I will see her again and be able to one day officially call her my own. Dark Specter is going to at some point, if he hasn't already, extract all the data in my mind that pertains to the Rangers." _He made some quick motions._ "In this file, I am sending all the phase variations that are currently used, will be used, or have been used by the Dark Fortress. Call it my last act of treachery, use them well, and use them against me. I will surely use what I know of the Megaship against you."_ Zhane grimaced._ "I must…" _His face creased with more pain and he fought back at it._ "I must send this now, or it will never be sent. I can't hold out much longer." _

Andros checked as he received the files that Zhane had specified. They were thorough and complete. Andros thought it might be possible to modify all the weapons to these new setting to keep from being overrun by the UAE, but they would need to act fast. Karone wouldn't be much good to them right then, so he made the plans to send her to the rebels. He knew she had been in contact with them and was helping them currently.

----

Back on the Dark Fortress, a hand was placed on the desk and Zhane stood. That he was no longer in severe pain and that the glint in his eyes had changed showed that he was longer Zhane, but instead he was once again Ciarán, however a much colder version and he clearly looked more ruthless. Fully standing up, he walked almost mechanically like he was programmed to out to the throne room and kneeled before the view screen where Dark Specter's face appeared. "My liege, you have my trust forever and always, I will only live to serve the purpose you want me to live for."

Dark Specter gave his version of a smile and the screen went blank. Ciarán turned to Ecliptor and began ordering his servant around. "Ecliptor, as my first official order since my reinstatement, I want you to go and get Darkonda. Bring him here to me kicking and screaming if you have to," he ordered in a tone that said "if you mess with me, I will replace you in an instant with a newer model."

"I may have just been reinstated, but I will take no guff. We will do this right the first time; those Rangers are going down whether they like it or not."

"Yes, sire." Ecliptor bowed and walked out of the room as fast as he could. As soon as he was out of the room, Ciarán put a little grin on his face and thought, _first you, Darkonda, then you, Dark Specter, you made one mistake by programming me to be more ruthless. You made me self-sufficient as well. I will kill you all and rule this galaxy on my own._

A short while later, Ecliptor pushed a stumbling Darkonda onto the deck. "You, ah, you rang, master? I hope you are satisfied with the changes I made in your absence," the creature babbled.

"No!" Ciarán growled. "I hate it, I hate everything about you. You have one hour to remove any and all traces of yourself from this vessel, or you will become my personal favorite hunting prey. I can see it now, keeping you locked up till I want to hunt you, let you loose and kill you, using one of your lives, confine you again, rinse, wash and repeat. Does that sound fun to you, my little servant?" he asked, rubbing his face. That is, until he started to lose interest in the creature. "Now, go. You only have forty-five minutes left, so you had better hurry."

He stood, watching, as Darkonda ran about the ship gathering up every little trace that he had ever spent time on board. After forty minutes, he opened a ship wide communications. "Better hurry it up, Darkonda, you only have five minutes left and if I find one little dust bunny with your name on it, you will be hunted down and the games will begin." As he closed the channel he heard him scurry even faster. He turned to Ecliptor. "Begin sweeping the ship for anything that looks like his. If you find anything of his and time has not elapsed hold onto it, he will be my prey no matter what."

Ecliptor nodded and Ciarán looked at himself in disgust, realizing he was still dressed in the disgusting rags Zhane had called a uniform. Ciarán despised everything that uniform stood for, so while Ecliptor searched he proceeded to go back to his room to change.

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	22. the beggining of the end

Destiny of the Heart

The battle had been hard, and it was tough on them all. During the two months that had passed since Zhane had been taken and turned back into Ciarán, the Rangers fought as a team of five. They tried to overcome his strength and they managed to do so fairly well with the modifications Zhane had sent as his last act of kindness. Karone had gone to stay with the rebels, however, this day she was back with the Rangers and the six of them were facing their toughest battle.

The galaxy was under siege. This was an all out battle from all members of the UAE. Ciarán had Earth on its knees and was a stone's throw from conquering it. After losing one set of battles, the six Rangers hid and were drawing up plans.

Andros stood up. "I need to go to the Dark Fortress myself in person. There is only one way to stop Ciarán, and it is on his own ground."

Karone looked like she was going to cry. "Karone, I will bring him back, alright? I promise I will try my hardest."

She just nodded and promised to be strong for Andros.

Ashley ran after him. "Andros, you can't do this. What if something happens to you?"

"I will be fine, Ashley. I will come back for you and Karone," Andros reassured her. "This is the only option. I need to attack where he has no armies between him and us."

----

The battle was over. The evil armies had disintegrated and were gone. The Rangers' powers had defaulted, letting the civilians around them have a good look at their faces. Everything was fine until they saw the Dark Fortress descending from the skies.

They five of them were afraid for their lives until they saw Andros walking down the ramp with Ciarán in his arms. His body was limp and his eyes were closed.

As Andros set the body down, Karone collapsed by his side. Rumors were being told in the crowds behind the Rangers about why the Rangers were mourning for the person responsible for the state the Earth was in.

"I am sorry, Karone. I tried not to kill him. He was going to kill me, but I blocked his blast and it bounced back to him and killed him. I tried, I really did," Andros said, falling beside her. He placed Zhane's hands over his chest in respect.

Karone started to cry over him, and soon something happened, but only one thing could be uttered: a thank you to Zordon. She knew almost immediately this was a gift from him.

The metal on his face disappeared and his color returned. Soon he was sitting up and looking at everyone. "What… happened?"

Karone's tears vanished as she raced to have her arms around him. "It's a long story that I am not really up to telling right now, but I am sure I will find a way to tell you sooner or later."

"Whenever you're ready to tell me. Something tells me that we don't have a time limit anymore on how long I can stay free," Zhane said, hugging her back while standing up on his own strength.

----

A week had passed since the battle and people were returning to the colony. Karone had stayed in close contact with Zhane's parents, and she was notified when they returned to the colony.

"Zhane, your parents are back, but there is something I need to tell you… something that has been too hard to tell you before now."

Zhane never heard her. He was off the ship before she could tell him what she needed to say, and she knew it was fruitless to try to catch him by the pace he had been moving.

Zhane ran along the path to his home village and knocked on the door to his house. Identical blonde twins answered the door. Their hair was roughly the same shade as his and they wore the same canvas dress. The one on the left stood tall and asked for his name, proving that they were indeed separate people and he was not seeing double.

"Can I come in? I have business with the master of the house," he said shocked by the two girls in front of him.

The girl on the right smiled and rocked back and forth. "It depends on what your business is with our father. He is tired from the journey here, right, Taiwo?"

"Right, Namono," the first girl replied.

Zhane gritted his teeth. How come Karone hadn't told him he had twin siblings that were utterly annoying? "Look, girls, your father has been wanting to see me for the longest time. I just managed to make it here."

"Taiwo, Namono, stop bugging our visitor and let him in." A man with graying blond hair, leaning on a cane, came around the corner. However, when he saw who it was at the door he dropped the cane and would have fallen over himself if it hadn't been for Taiwo.

No, wait. Zhane sighed. Taiwo had been the one on the left. No wait, the girl that had been standing on the left was still there. His head hurt trying to tell the two apart.

"Taiwo, let the young man in and go get your mother. She is going to want to see who this is standing at our door," his father said, ordering the girl to go upstairs. "Please, come in and sit down. I am sure you will find everything pretty much as you last saw it."

"Father, who is this and why are you letting him into our home?" the little girl asked.

"Hush, Namie, you should be very honored to be in his presence," he scolded the girl as he showed Zhane to the sitting room.

Just then, the other girl reappeared returned, with an older woman in tow.

"Arian, I was dusting the upstairs. Why the rush to get me?"

"Jelena, look at who is home," Arian said, indicating to the couch where Zhane sat with a curious Namono poking his arm. Taiwo had joined her and they were currently questioning him.

Zhane looked up as his mother gasped and nearly passed out. He ran to her side and braced her from falling. "Zhane, oh my darling son, you are home at last," she said as he put her back to his feet.

"Son!?" the two girls exclaimed. "You mean to tell us that this is our older brother whom we never got the chance to meet?"

Arian nodded. "Girls, this is your big brother, Zhane. He has been away for quite awhile but I hope he has come to stay." He turned to Zhane. "We have much to catch up with, but the two question machines are your younger twin sisters. I take it you were never told about them. Taiwo is the one on the left and her hair is about three inches shorter then her twin sister Namono, or Namie, as we call her. They will be seven this next month. Let the two of us go for a walk and talk about what has happened to you since we last met."

His mother waved, her hands by her face. "Come girls we have a feast to prepare for tonight. We need to go hunting for any food we can find in the village."

Zhane smiled and walked with this father. He might not know about the twins, but he was sure he would soon be able to tell them apart.

----

About four days following, Andros and Karone were working when a man walked on deck. "You two have made me so proud. I knew you would be able to win the war."

Ashley walked on deck and kissed Andros on the cheek. "Were you busy this morning? You said you would show me the Kerovian market place today seeing as it just reopened."

Andros blushed. "Dad, I would like you to meet Ashley. She and I have been going out now for about four months now."

"Well, this is exciting news, but what about the marriage contract with Seira?" he asked.

Karone put her head down. "Seira sort of ripped it up and shoved it in his face. We found her among the rebels, and she had married Diallo so she could stay with the rebels."

"Is that so? Well, then. Ashley, you have my fullest blessing; however, I will have to meet your parents at some point. Are they back on the colony yet?"

"Ashley isn't from the colony, Dad, she is from Earth," Andros said, running his fingers through her hair.

"Well, it is a great honor to meet a young lady from Earth," Andros's father announced. "Andros, Karone, your mother is waiting at our house for you to come and see her. Ashley, you are more than welcome to come with us. I am sure my wife will want to meet you."

When the three of them arrived at the house, Ashley stopped. "Karone, fix my hair, please. I can't go in there like this. It feels like it is a mess."

"Ashley, it is fine. I am sure you will be fine," Karone said, running her hands through the hair.

Andros walked in ahead of them, shaking his head, only to be met by a fuming red face, "Andros! I need an exclamation from you."

"Mother? I just walked in the house and I get yelled at." Andros looked to the door where Karone stood holding Ashley back.

"I found your promised wife on the side of a road on the way here. She was in tears because YOU got her pregnant and then left her alone to raise the child," his mother yelled at him in Kerovian.

Ashley not understanding what the screaming was about ran in and hugged tight to Andros. "Ashley, not now, you should go back to the ship," he whispered.

"Who was that?" his mother screamed again. "Is she the reason you left Seira alone? You fancied someone different?"

"I really don't understand, Mother. I never left Seira; she left me."

"Not according to her words. She is upstairs in your room right now. You can go ask her yourself."

Andros nodded and bounded up the stairs, finding Seira on his bed nursing a newborn child. "Seira, how could you lie to my mother?" he asked as he walked into the room.

Seira avoided eye contact. "I never said anything. She just saw the baby and assumed."

Andros sat down on the bed. "You need to tell her the truth. She has a death wish against my new girlfriend. How come you never told me you were pregnant when we met eight months ago?"

"I barely knew that I was with Diallo's child then. That was only seven months ago, I found out right about then. I hid the baby for as long as I could and then when Karone came to stay with us I made Diallo swear not to tell and I hid in our tent," Seira said, frightened.

"You need to tell her the truth. It is the only way we can move anywhere from here." Andros said with a sigh, then called out, "Mother, come in here. I think there has been some miscommunication."

"Andros, you better have straightened it out with her because you are responsible for that child of hers," she replied, coming into the room. "I want you to get rid of that tramp of a girl that is downstairs. You have had your fun, now it is time to take responsibility."

Andros looked at Seira to see that she was frozen in fear. "Mother, I have been trying to tell you that child is not mine."

"Stop lying." She slapped him on the face. "She has the evidence that child is yours, and I know it is. Now go downstairs and get rid of the other girl."

Andros glanced at Seira, knowing she wasn't going to utter a word. His mother had always frightened her and now he was stuck with his neighbor's widow because of it.

Andros stood up and went downstairs. "Ashley, we need to talk."

Ashley nodded and followed him out of the house. "As soon as the Megaship is reloaded, I want you, TJ, Cassie and Carlos to get on board and never look back. This is going to be hard for you but my mother has frightened Seira and she won't tell the truth so I am stuck having to play father to a child that is not mine. I need you to move on and never look back. You need to be happy, and I need to fix Diallo's mistakes."

Ashley held his hands and looked at the ground. "I thought we had something, Andros."

"We do. I love you more than all the stars in the galaxy. Give me six months, and if I can get myself out of this mess I will send for you," Andros said. "Now the ship is almost loaded. It should be ready by tomorrow. I will be here to say goodbye to you. I need to get back to the house."

He turned and headed back, while Ashley went to the ship to find Zhane laughing with his twin sisters as he showed them some of his drawings. "Zhane, you might want to tell Karone and get your things ready to move off the ship. Andros told me that TJ, Cassie, Carlos and I are to leave tomorrow and we are taking the ship with us."

"Ashley, what is wrong?" Zhane came to her and gave her a hug.

She shoved him away. "Please, Zhane, not now."

Zhane just stared at her retreating form and watched as she locked herself in her room.

----

The next day, Andros and Karone were standing in the crowd seeing the Megaship off. Zhane stood beside Karone and Seira stood next to Andros with the baby in a sling. It was a boy and she had named it Diallo in honor of his father. Andros's mother didn't know this yet.

She winced as she got the death stare from Ashley as she closed the hatch once it was shut she turned to Andros. "You need to go with them. Ashley is who you love, not me. I cheated on you, got married to another man. I am going to tell your mother the truth and if she doesn't believe me I will leave KO-35. My grandfather is an ambassador on Eltar, I am sure he will let me stay with him and raise this child."

"Seira, you were promised to me. The father is dead and there was no formal contract being destroyed. I am still responsible for you," Andros said, through sad eyes.

"No, Andros you are not responsible for me at all. You might be bound to me by paper, but by emotions you're bound to Ashley. If you were to stay with me, this child would not have the firm home he needs to survive. You need to go, and you need to go now or you will miss your flight." She pushed him away as she sank back into the crowds.

Andros nodded and ran back to the ship and teleported aboard. When Ashley saw him, she hugged him. "But what about Seira?"

"She has come around, and is going to tell my mother everything. My home is with you."

Zhane and Karone popped their heads around. "Mind if we come with you? The twins are kind of getting on my nerves."

"And I don't want to have to be around Mother right now. She is going to blow a couple fuses at Seira when she finds out the truth."

Sure enough, the Megaship was half way to Earth when the comm activated. Andros took a deep breath and answered it.

"Andros, I know that Seira lied to me about the baby." His mother looked horrible. She must have been so glad about having a grandchild to come home to and now that was ruined. "I am still mad that you never told me the truth, though, and I am even madder that you ran off with that girl…"

Andros had expected this much. However, he knew there was no use in talking sense into his mother about being able to tell him the truth. He had tried and she wouldn't listen, just kept calling him a liar.

"You do need to come back to the colony though. Seira pointed out the contract between the two of you was never officially broken because such things didn't happen during the war. I do admit that Seira was wrong in her actions and I will tell you that you were even more wrong about going and dating another girl during this time. I will learn to accept this other girl, so while you don't have my blessing, you have my tolerance," she finished.

Ashley grinned and ran to his side. "This means we can be together?"

"Yes, we can. But first we need to turn this ship around and appease my mother with the breaking of the contract." Andros hugged her and kissed her head. She was finally allowed to be with him by the law of his people.

----

Ashley decided to stay on KO-35 and from that point forward the two of them started their path of life together. Zhane learned to tolerate his twin sisters' questions and stayed as well.

Ashley and Andros were married about six months after she came to stay on KO-35, and they were very happy. Ashley brought her parents to the colony for the wedding, revealing her big secret to them. They were shocked to find out but were happier about the fact that she was getting married. During the six months that she and Andros were unattached, she stayed with Zhane's family and his mother taught her about the Kerovian traditions.

About a year after their wedding, Zhane and Karone tied the knot. They were very happy together although one thing can be pointed out. When they moved into their own house, while it was still in the village that his parents lived in, it was on the farthest reaches. So they could have some peace from the twins and they wouldn't always be bothering him.

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	23. new generation

Sorry for the long wait, I have been letting the creative juices flow these last few days. I have a story that is almost ready for release as well as working on the long awaited sequel to Seeing behind the enemies mask. then I am working on a twilight fanfiction.

* * *

Destiny of the Heart

Four years had passed from the end of the war and Zhane's official return to the people. Karone was pregnant with their first child. If the child was a boy they were going to name him Avior and if it was a girl they were going to name her Kiran.

Lying in their bed, Karone rested her head on Zhane's shoulder. "We have been through a lot. I just hope this little one can have an easier life than you did, and not as emotional as mine." She laid her hands on her stomach and felt the baby's kick.

"I know, but whatever life has in store for our child, we will stand strong behind him." Zhane smiled, placing his hand on her stomach.

"Whoever said it was going to be a boy? I am the mother, and I feel it will be a girl, not a boy. This little one will be mine to train." Karone feuded with Zhane, but turned over and kissed him on the lips. "Though no matter what the gender of our baby, we will love him or her regardless."

----

Ashley and Andros had been married a year longer than Karone and Zhane, and they already had two children, with a third due about the same time Karone's baby was to be born. They had two girls, and Andros was holding out that the baby she was carrying would be a son. He loved his daughters very much, but he still didn't have a son to train in his stead. His oldest daughter was Rhea, and she was going to be three, born just nine months after the wedding. Their second daughter's name was Nadra, and she would be turning two by the time the baby was born.

Ashley was looking at a book as they lay in bed. "Andros, what do you think of Chalfon if this baby is a boy? We could call him Chal for short."

"I like the name very much, and I think that our son would like that name." He laid his hand on Ashley's stomach. "What do you think are you going to be, our little Chal?"

Ashley laughed. "I think he is going to like that name a lot, he just moved around a lot. I am not going to jinx it by picking out a girl's name. If this little one is indeed another girl, we will come up with a name when we find out."

"Sounds good, seeing as for the last two you picked out girls names first for them and we now have two beautiful daughters." Andros smiled and kissed Ashley's hand. "You have indeed made me the happiest man ever."

Their time was interrupted, though, by a whir of motion as two small figures jumped on the bed. Rhea, who was very vocal, announced that Nadra wanted to feel the baby.

"Rhea, what are you doing up? You should have been in bed an hour ago. You have school tomorrow," Ashley scolded as Andros got up and picked Nadra, up placing her on the bed.

"But Nadra was awake and when I told her about the baby, she wanted to see," Rhea said, placing her hand on her mother's stomach.

"Me bebe," Nadra said, sitting on Andros' lap. She had just learned how to talk, and was proudly letting everyone know it.

"Rhea, Nadra doesn't really understand yet. Are you sure you didn't wake her up just so you could come in here and avoid going to sleep?" Ashley said, looking at Andros, who in turned picked Rhea up and she took Nadra.

"Alright, back to your rooms, you two sillies," Andros said holding the bigger of the two girls. "It is way past your bedtime, and you have school tomorrow, Rhea." He took her into her room and laid her in bed before kissing her forehead. "Now, will you be a big girl and go to sleep this time or do I have to read you another story and rub your back like we do your sister?"

"No backrub, read me a story," she demanded and he sat by her side, reading one of the books she had brought home from school. She fell asleep pretty fast and after making sure she was really out, he walked out the door and placed a bell on the doorknob. She had a habit of sneaking out of her bed at all hours of the night. If she was being troublesome they hung a bell to tell them she was trying to get out of her room while she was supposed to be sleeping.

Ashley was still in Nadra's room, rubbing her back and trying to get her to sleep. "Andros, are we really ready for a third child?" she laughed quietly.

"I think so. Rhea will be a year older before the baby is old enough for her to do any of her scheming with. There will be a chance that she has grown out of this by then," Andros said. Leaning over, he kissed the sleepy Nadra. "I think she is almost out, if you want to go back to bed. I will take over."

"Thank you, Andros. Sitting like this is not the most comfortable at seven months pregnant. I don't know what I am going to do when I get closer to my due date. Rhea didn't have these late night distractions when I was pregnant with Nadie."

"She was also a bit younger then Nadie and we still had her in a crib," Andros said, sitting down and continuing to rub the back of the sleeping child.

----

Ashley had made it her way to the school to pick up Rhea. Andros was watching Nadie while he and Zhane worked. Ashley was surprised she still had energy to do anything these days; she was less then a week from her due date, but despite the doctors warnings she was still walking the quarter mile between their house and the school each day. Of course, she had been doing that right up through this whole pregnancy so it was routine for her.

When she got to the school, Rhea was standing at the door waiting for her. "Mommy, I want you to meet my new friend. He is a year older than me, but he is in my class."

"Oh, Rhea?" Ashley said, sitting down on the bench while holding the girl's jacket out.

"His name is Diallo and he just moved here from Eltar," the little girl said, smiling, and she waved as a boy walked past with his mother. "That was Diallo, he is really nice."

Ashley looked up and saw who his mother was. She recognized her instantly, but the woman didn't seem to notice her. "Seira, is that you?"

"Excuse me? Yes, my name is Seira, but I'm not sure how you know me," she replied as she took off the hook her son's coat and held out his boots to put on.

"Seira, I'm Ashley. I'm probably not looking my best today and this baby fat is probably not helping my image any." Ashley laughed as she picked herself up off the bench.

"Ashley!?" the woman asked in great surprise. "Well, this sure is a great surprise, and look at you! You're pregnant."

"Yeah, this will be mine and Andros's third. How have you been?"

"I have been well, thank you. I was meaning to look Andros up, but we just moved back to the village a week ago and it has been hectic. My grandfather passed away, so we had to come back here. To tell you the truth, I was expecting Andros to go to Earth and live with you there, not vice versa."

"Well, life is full of surprises, isn't it?" Ashley replied, wincing.

"Ashley, are you alright?" Seira said, dropping the coat and grabbing Ashley's arm.

"Yes, the baby just kicked really hard, I think."

"How far along are you?" Seira guided Ashley to the bench.

"About a week to my due date. Really, I think I'll be fine. I just need to get Rhea home so I can go lay down."

"No, I am going to call an emergency transport, you might be in labor," Seira said, running to the school office. Coming back, she asked, "Ashley, where would Andros be right now?"

"He had some work to do with Zhane, but they were going to meet at the park and do it because he was watching Nadra," Ashley said, wincing again as the pain came again. "This pain, it's different from Rhea or Nadra."

Seira looked out the door to see the transport arrive. "The transport is here. I will take Rhea home for you, and I will find Andros."

"Take Rhea to Andros's mother." Ashley winced as she blew out again.

"Okay, okay, you just relax." Seira got up and put the two kid's coats and boots on. "Come on, Rhea, I'm going to take you to your grandmother."

"What's wrong with Mommy?" Rhea asked in a small, scared voice.

"Nothing is wrong, but you may be getting a new sister or brother shortly," Seira told the girl as she took her hand and led her from the building.

Seira walked down the road until she saw the park. Making a quick stop, she recognized Andros's hair from where he stood near the playground watching a little girl play in the sand.

"Andros!" she called out, causing him to turn and stare wide eyed at her.

"Seira!? What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were on Eltar with your grandfather."

"I was until about a week ago. I met Ashley at the school. Our kids are in the same class despite the age difference. Ashley is in labor, and she was complaining that it hurt more than when she had Rhea."

Andros ran over to the sand box, and grabbed the little girl.

"Seira, would you mind taking Nadie to my mothers as well. I need to get to the hospital." He was freaking out, which was not something he did very often.

"Andros, I will come with you," Zhane said. "I think of Ashley as a sister because of all she has done for me." Andros nodded, and the two men ran off together.

They got to the edge of the park when Taiwo stopped them. "Zhane, Mother asked me to stop in and check on Karone on my way back from school. I found her on her bed in labor. I called for a transport to take her to the hospital, 'cause her midwife wasn't available."

Zhane looked at Andros. "I guess I am coming with you, anyway."

The two of them got to the hospital only to be directed to separate rooms. Andros went in with Ashley and took his place beside her. "Ashley, it's alright. I am here now. Just breathe."

"Andros, it hurts. Something doesn't feel right," Ashley said, panicking.

"Doctor!" Andros cried out as one walked into the room. "What's wrong? I trust my wife when she says something doesn't feel right."

The doctor dropped his file and ran to check. "The baby is being born breech," he replied. "We need to get her prepped to go to special delivery."

Attendants came in and took Ashley's bed out, and Andros was about to follow when he was stopped. "I'm sorry, we can't allow you in the room at this time."

"But I am the father, last I checked we were allowed in the delivery room," Andros said in protest. However, the door to the wing was shut in his face. He went and stood near the room where Karone was, and it didn't seem like long till he heard a baby's very angry wails of protest.

Zhane came running out. "It's a girl!" He saw Andros. "Andros, it is a girl, Karone had a girl! Little Kiran." He then saw the down cast look on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"Ashley. She is having a difficult labor, and the doctor won't let me be with her," he replied. "But I guess there is no use moping right now. I am sure everything will be fine. Let me see this niece of mine."

Karone had the tired yet elated look on her face that all new mothers had. "Hey, 'Dros, you come to see your new niece."

Andros sat down next to the bed and stroked a finger along the baby's still damp head. "She is beautiful, 'Rone, just beautiful."

"Andros, I may be exhausted but I can tell something is bothering you. You are reading like a book today," Karone said, looking sadly at her brother.

"Ashley. She went into labor and was admitted about the same time you were, which is the real reason I am here. 'Rone, they won't let me see Ashley, they took her away after she told me she felt like something was wrong with the baby."

Karone looked like she was going to cry herself. "Andros, I am sure everything will be fine." Karone transferred the baby to her other arm, careful not to disturb the little bundle, and held his hand.

They sat like that for a while till the baby started to stir, having tired of resting from its tiring journey into the world and was now demanding some food. "Looks like Kiran is ready for her first meal." He stood up and left the room to give his sister some much needed privacy.

Andros didn't know how long he sat in the waiting room till his mother came in with the two girls. "Andros, where is Ashley? And did I hear correctly that Karone has gone into labor?"

"Karone is down the hall with Zhane. It's a girl; her name is Kiran. And I don't know where Ashley is. They haven't let me see her since she came in."

"What! Do they know who you are?" She got red in the face and saw Zhane's parents enter. "Jelena, can one of the girls watch Rhea and Nadra? I need to settle something with a few of the doctors before I go and see Karone's little one."

Jelena nodded. "Namie, will you please sit here with the girls? We will have you switch with your sister in a few minutes."

The girl nodded and took Andros's kids and sat in the corner. Rhea was her normal inquisitive self. "Why does Daddy look so sad?" "Can we see the baby yet?"

Namono reached into her pocket and pulled out some paper. "Rhea, why don't you sit here and draw a picture for your mom?"

The little girl pouted but obeyed and drew the best picture she could of her family, including the new little baby.

Finally, a doctor came out and talked to Andros. Namono watched his body language and smiled when she saw him relax. Ashley had to be alright if he wasn't ready to bash the doctor's head in.

Andros walked into the room to see Ashley laying there half asleep. "Hey, Ash, how are you?"

"Very tired," she murmured. "And sore," she continued before letting her head tilt to the side.

"The doctor says you will be alright, though," Andros said, stroking her cheek.

"What about the baby? They took the baby," she said sort of delusional, her eyes were open wide with fear. "They took my baby, the baby didn't even cry after the got him out."

Andros patted her hand, realizing that they must have had to give her some medicine for the pain, which was why she was out of it. "Ashley, I am sure the baby is fine. I am more worried about you. We have two bright healthy children, and that is all I could ask for."

"No, Andros, no. I want my baby. The doctor said the baby was fine at my last appointment. I just want my baby," she said over and over, getting herself worked up.

"Ashley, I want you to rest. I promise that I will find out about the baby while you do so. I care about the baby as well, but I care about your safety more," Andros stood up as Ashley closed her eyes.

Walking out into the hall, he found Zhane waiting for him. "Andros, how is she?"

"She is really worked up and out of it. They have her on a few things to try and keep the pain down. She is resting now, but she is worried about the baby. She just wants her baby." Andros said, leaning against the wall. "I am scared as well. The doctors are acting strange and they won't tell me what is going on."

"I called TJ. He is coming along with Carlos and they are bringing Ashley's parents with them. Cassie is staying behind because she doesn't want to travel while pregnant," Zhane said, sighing.

"How long ago did you call them?" Andros asked, looking at the door to see Carlos standing there.

"About an hour ago. You were still waiting for any news," Zhane replied as he looked up to see Ashley's mother run in.

"Where is my daughter? Can I see her?" she asked.

Andros gestured across the hall. "She is in there, but she is resting. I haven't heard anything on the baby yet." Ashley's mother went in the room and Andros looked at Zhane. "I am tired of waiting, and I am going to go harass all the nurses and doctors till they tell me something about the baby."

"You go for it, Andros," Zhane encouraged. "If they refuse to tell you anything, tell them that your best friend and brother in law used to be Ciarán and that he isn't happy about how you are being treated."

"Nah, I won't do that. You want to see how fast they will kick you out for threatening them?" Andros smiled slightly.

"It was a joke, Andros. I know that saying that wouldn't fly too well." Zhane laughed at his friend.

Andros couldn't find anything out, however an hour later Ashley had awakened and he was sitting by her side when a doctor came in. "Ashley, you had a son, however I don't want to get your hopes up on thinking he will survive the night. He wasn't breathing when we delivered him. He was born breech and had his umbilical cord wrapped around his throat. We managed to get him to breathe, however, we did a blood test and there are abnormalities in his blood count. We aren't quite sure at this point what is wrong with him." The doctor paused. "If he does indeed live, I would consider naming him after a miracle because that will be what he is."

Ashley broke down. "Can I see my baby? I just want to see my baby."

The doctor sighed. "Alright, but only for a few minutes. I will have a nurse bring him out."

Just as promised, the nurse brought the baby out and handed the little bundle to Ashley who held tight. He had ten toes and ten fingers, and looked almost normal except that his skin was colored strangely and he looked a bit sickly.

Andros smiled and rubbed a finger on his forehead. "Ashley, I think Nisan is a more fitting name than Chalfon. Nisan means miracle and that is indeed what he will be. He is going to be our little miracle because I have a feeling he is going to grow up and be big and strong despite what all the doctors say."

Ashley nodded and just held the baby tight. Zhane walked in with his sketchpad. "Ashley, can I sketch you and him?"

Ashley just nodded and positioned the baby so that Zhane could see his face.

By the time the nurse had to take the baby back, Zhane had drawn out the baby's face and Ashley's so the blanket that the was wrapped around the baby and Ashley's body. "There, your first portrait with your first son," Zhane said, handing it over.

"Could you name the sketch?" Ashley asked Zhane. "We named him Nisan because he is going to be a miracle."

"Well, I hereby consider Nisan's first portrait finished." Zhane replied, before looking at the clock on the wall. "I have to go. Karone is being discharged in a few minutes. Ashley, your mother is in the lobby, half asleep. Do you want me to see her to your house with the girls?"

Andros looked at the time, realizing what time it was. "Yes, please. It is nearly Rhea's bedtime. I will be along shortly," Zhane nodded and left the room.

"Ashley, I am going to go and take your mother home. I want you to stay here and rest. I will come back first thing in the morning," Andros said, running his fingers through her hair.

Ashley nodded. "Could you bring me some clothes and my hairbrush when you come?"

"Of course, Ashley. I am going to go and make sure your mother doesn't destroy the house like she nearly did during our wedding celebrations." Andros stood up.

Ashley laughed slightly. "Alright, but you can't blame her. Kitchens on Earth are slightly different."

Andros shook his head and left.

The transport that took Karone and Zhane home with their baby dropped Andros and the girls off as well as Ashley's mother. "Nina, can you help me put the girls to bed?"

"Have they had dinner yet?" she asked Andros as she looked to Nadra who was asleep on her shoulder.

"Taiwo got them something to eat, I believe. She asked me for some money a few hours ago. Anyway, the two of them will fall asleep in their food if you tried feeding them now," Andros replied. "Here, if you can put Rhea to bed, I will take Nadie. She doesn't like it if unfamiliar people put her to sleep. Be sure Rhea brushes her teeth and goes to the bathroom before she gets into bed and after she is asleep, there is a little bell on the shelf next to her door. Hang that on the out side of her doorknob," Andros instructed as he took Nadra from her arms and carried her to her room.

"What is the bell for?" Ashley's mother asked as she looked at the little girl who was standing at her side rubbing her eyes, trying to stay awake.

Andros looked down the stairs. "Rhea is an escape artist and likes to wake Ashley and I up at all hours of the night. Sometimes she will go as far as getting Nadie out of bed as well. We found that tying a bell to her door gave us a little warning to her getting out of bed," Andros said as he disappeared up the steps to the girls' rooms.

When Nina had finished getting Rhea in bed she poked her head into the room that was set up as the nursery. Andros was being strong right now, but she knew he was worried for the baby just as much as Ashley. This was evident by seeing him sitting in the rocking chair staring at the crib. Not wanting to interrupt him, she went down the hall to the guest room and got herself ready for bed.

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Please review


	24. A Son!

AN: I am sorry for the long wait but here is the end of my story... this has been slightly depressing considering that I have thought of this story as one of my best. well I will hope for better reviews from my Twilight story which hopefully will go live sometime in the next month. I have another Power rangers story finished and if you want me to publish it I will but you need to speak up.  


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Destiny of the Heart

The next morning Andros woke up in the rocker and heard the girls down stairs laughing. Realizing what time it was, he stood up and went to his own room to get changed into clean clothes. He grabbed Ashley's bag that had been packed in advance but forgotten the day before.

"Morning," he called, coming into the kitchen to see the girls at the table eating breakfast. He jokingly added, "Well, Nina, you actually managed to get them something without setting anything on fire."

"Not too much you can do wrong with cereal," Nina protested as she picked up the bowls "I know Ashley said that it is usually customary to have something warm for breakfast, but I thought it could slide this once seeing as I can't tell the oven from the dish washer."

Andros chuckled as he took a bowl, and then realized that Rhea wasn't dressed for school. "Nina, Rhea needs to be in her school clothes."

"I thought given yesterday's events she could miss it today. Yesterday was very stressful and she is only three."

"She can't miss school unless she herself is sick. Attendance policies are very strict at her school." He set the bowl down. "Come here, Rhea, let's go get you ready for school." Coming back down the stairs with Rhea wearing her school uniform, he said, "I'll be back. I am going to take her to school, and then we can go to the hospital and see Ashley."

----

"Alright, everything is set. Rhea has a play date with the son of an old friend of mine after school, so when we get home later she will bring Rhea back here," Andros announced as he came back in from dropping her off. "Do you have Nadie ready?"

Nina stood up and picked up Nadra, who was dressed in her coat. "We are ready. Please tell me that you have called for a taxi."

"No transport," Andros said. "It is a nice day, and the hospital isn't too far. When we come home, if Ashley is with us, we will get a ride but only then."

Nina sighed and walked along side Andros as he carried Nadie. "Wouldn't it at least be easier if you had a stroller for Nadra?"

"She doesn't like them, we have tried. She likes to be carried, we have tried to get her to ride in one but she fusses the whole time," Andros replied. "So most of them time I just carry her in my arms if Ashley and I go anywhere with her and Rhea walks beside the two of us holding our hands.

Arriving at the hospital, Andros checked in and then walked down to Ashley's room to find her sitting in bed with a hospital issue breakfast. "Hey, handsome." She kissed him on the cheek as he set Nadra in the bedside chair. "How'd my mother do?"

"She avoided the chance of burning the house or flooding it by feeding the girls cereal." Andros laughed.

"Well, at least the house is intact." Ashley giggled. "Now let me see Nadie. I missed my little angel last night." Andros handed the little girl over to her mother.

The little girl fussed. "Mommy's tummy!" she wailed.

"Uh oh, looks like Rhea has been having her little talks with Nadie again." Ashley sighed. "Nadie, baby girl, it's alright. Mommy's tummy is fine. See?" She placed the little girls hands down on her stomach. "See, it's still there, just smaller then it has been in a few months."

The doctor walked in. "Ah, I see you have the whole family here," he said, looking at Ashley's file. "Ashley, you can go home today, but I want you to take it easy for a few days."

"Doctor, what about the baby?" Ashley asked as Nadra stood up and jumped on the edge of her bed. "Andros, catch her."

Andros caught Nadra before she could jump on the bed a second time. "Me baby," she giggled in her father's arms.

"He made some improvements last night, and I would say that as long as you keep an eye out for symptoms that we will educate you on he can go home today as well. As you know, it is not Kerovian custom to keep babies in the hospital longer then necessary because we feel the best place for a baby is in the home where you can love and take care of the child in your own ways," the doctor informed them. "I will have a nurse bring him out in a few minutes with the instruction sheets that have been made up."

Andros set down the bag. "Ashley, I'll leave you to get dressed and go call on a transport for us."

Andros stepped out of the room holding Nadra. "Andros, is there somewhere that I can go to call Ashley's father?" Nina asked. "He wasn't able to make it this time, but I know he must be worrying about her."

"When we get home you can use my comm in my office to call him. I will set it up so you can."

Half an hour later the five of them were on their way home in the transport. Upon getting home, Nina took the baby and Andros helped Ashley to their room. "Nina, you can bring the baby to our room. I will move the crib there for now so that he will be near the two of us."

After that was done, Andros took her to his office where he configured the comm unit to be able to call to Earth. "I will call Carlos and see if he can get ahold of your husband."

----

Over at Zhane and Karone's, Taiwo had just gotten out of school and was helping Karone with the baby. The two girls had grown up a lot in the last four years and were now quiet, well-mannered young ladies. Now that they had a niece, they were hanging around, but Zhane found that they weren't as annoying as when he first met them four years before. He was in his office working on a sketch that he was recalling from memory of all the Rangers assembled in an attack formation when the doorbell rang.

Answering it, he found a young woman whom he vaguely recognized. "Can I help you?"

"I am sorry that it took me so long to track you down." The woman curtseyed. She was dressed in a style of clothing that gave the hint that she was from Triforia, yet she didn't look Triforian.

Zhane was confused as to the reason why this young woman was calling him on. "Erm, well. Will you please come in?"

He showed her to the sitting room. "I don't mean to be rude, but is there a reason as to why a woman dressed in Triforian noblewoman clothing would be calling on me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not Triforian, I am from elsewhere but we weren't all as lucky as you to find our places of origin after the war. I just sort of got absorbed by the Triforians, they took me in and cared for me," she said, sitting properly and formally.

"Ah, you were like me a brainwashed child soldier for the UAE," Zhane said.

"I have been cleansed of the evil thoughts placed in my head by the UAE, but I still don't know who I am. I just know one thing, that you and I had a fling at one point during the war," she said. "I have been trying to find you for the last four years but you were able to escape after the war and had found your past life. You returned to it unlike so many and that made you hard to track.

"I wouldn't even have thought to look here if I hadn't been at the hospital getting treatment for an illness I had yesterday. I heard you tell your friend to threaten the doctors with the name Ciarán," she continued.

"That is nice and all, but I still don't know your name and reason of calling other than we supposedly knew each other while working for the UAE."

"My name was and still is Charna. If I had another name I don't remember it." She placed her hand on her side.

"Well, Charna, I am sorry but I still don't know who you are. I must say you look a bit familiar, but your name doesn't ring any bells."

"You look really different without the metal mind clamp," she blurted out before standing up.

"Charna, no wonder I don't remember you, I don't remember anything during that month of time on the Dark Fortress. The brainwashing was not who I was it was a complete programmed version of who Ciarán was. That Ciarán was perfectly evil with no human emotion."

"You seemed perfectly human when you came to my room each night and roughed me up. I was insane coming here." She stood up, but fell to the ground.

A voice called from up stairs. "Zhane, could you get me Kiran's bottle? Your sister needed to go home and help your mother."

"Who was that?" Charna said, still on the ground.

"That was my wife, Karone, the reason I was at the hospital yesterday was because she gave birth to our first child," Zhane explained as he helped her off the ground and as he did so he saw the bruise on her side. "That bruise, where did you get it? I hope it wasn't from falling."

"It's not a bruise. I am dying. None of the doctors know what it is it just grows everyday and everywhere I look no one has any answers except giving me a certain combination of drugs that seem to stop the spread of it," she replied, pulling her tunic down.

"Please sit on the couch. I want to talk with you more about this matter, but I need to get Karone a bottle for the baby," Zhane said, showing her back to the chair.

Zhane went into the kitchen and came back out with the bottle a few minutes later and proceeded to go upstairs with it. "Karone, I'm sorry it took awhile, but I have company downstairs."

Karone took the bottle and stuck it in Kiran's mouth. "Is it anyone I know?"

"No, I don't think so. I barely know her. She claims to know me from my later days as Ciarán. My days as the brainwashed Ciarán that nearly destroyed the Earth," Zhane admitted.

"Do you know what she wants?" Karone asked sweetly. "Because if she wants you to go with her, you can tell her to take a hike."

"She doesn't seem to want me. In fact, when she found out I was married, she wanted to leave. But I wouldn't let her. She started to tell me about an illness she has, and I want to find out more. I know she is dying from it."

"It's not contagious, is it?" Karone asked, worried, as she shielded the baby.

"No, I don't think so. She is seeing doctors for treatment and do you think they would let her travel planets, much less leave a hospital if her condition was contagious?" Zhane replied.

"I suppose so, but please keep me filled in on what this woman wants. I don't want to see her using you," Karone pleaded as Zhane turned and left the room and returned to the sitting room.

"Zhane, I really am sorry about calling on you. I had no right to come here and interrupt the safe life you had returned to. You didn't remember me and now I am just stirring old memories up in my mind." She stood up and attempted to leave.

"Charna, I want to hear your story. I may not remember you, but if I can I would like to help you. Please tell me your story," Zhane said, coaxing her to sit back down. "Would you like something to drink?"

"That would be nice, thank you. Could I have some tea?" She sat back down, willing to talk.

"What kind would you like? I have a few different Triforian blends as well as some Kerovian and Eltarian blends."

She laughed. "Quite a selection. You wouldn't happen to have an Earth iced tea would you? If not, Triforian tea would be wonderful."

"Actually, I do happen to have some. I'll go make it up for you." Zhane left the room, and came back a few minutes later. "One of my friends got it for me for my birthday as a joke. He always buys his friends joke presents and he got me this huge tin of an instant tea even though as Kerovian's don't celebrate birthdays," he said, returning with a cold glass which he placed in her hands and sat across from her. "Now tell me."

"Well, I was for, as long as I can remember, Darkonda's personal slave. Well, he was stationed on the Dark Fortress while Ciarán was thought dead. My earliest memory was serving him, and I would have to say I was maybe twelve or thirteen. I had no concept of time while his servant and maybe that is how he wanted it. I know from doctors telling me that I am now roughly nineteen." She paused, and took a sip from her glass. "Well, one of my punishments from Darkonda for not listening to him was to serve you. This lasted for about a week until Darkonda discovered that I was enjoying my punishment and that you had taken me to your bed more than once. He was furious and beat me up, then sold me at a slaver who stopped by the ship to by the ship to offer you his services. About two months, after the war I was wondering around Triforia with no real aim in life when a lord realized I was pregnant. He took me in and clothed me and took care of my child, whom I named Omaid, because I hoped he meant that my life would change. About four months ago, I started becoming ill and rather than leech off the lord any longer I left his house under the cover of night with Omaid by my side with a few changes of clothes for the two of us." She bowed her head.

"So, you think the child might be mine?" Zhane said, pausing, then continuing, changing the aim of his question. "Or rather, you think the child might be Ciarán's?"

"I know Omaid is Ciarán's. He is fully human and you, err, he was the only one I slept with. When I was sold, I was kept in a dark room at an auction house on Onyx till about three days before the end of the war. I was then transferred to an auction house on Triforia in a seedy district that didn't abide by Alliance rules. I don't expect you to take Omaid in. In fact, I have found another place for him, but when I found out that you were here on KO-35 I felt it was my duty to tell you, that you had a right to at least know about your son." She handed him her glass. "I must be going. I left Omaid with the friend of mine that has agreed to take care of him."

"Charna, wait." He stood. "Let me talk to my wife before you leave." She nodded and sat back down and stared at the ground.

He bounded up the stairs. "Karone, I need to ask you something. Can we please go to our room?" Karone nodded and went into the room where Zhane shut the door. "Karone, the girl that is downstairs. I feel really guilty and I will be perfectly okay, if you are mad at the news I found out about. While I was the brainwashed ruthless Ciarán, I made love to her and she has a son."

Karone gasped and looked really hurt, but shrugged it off. "It wasn't your fault. You weren't you, and you don't remember anything that went on in that time."

"She didn't come here to leave the child on our doorstep. In fact, she has found someone else to take the child. She is dying and isn't sure how much longer she has." Zhane described the situation.

"No way is she just going to leave that child anywhere. You might not remember conceiving it, but if she has adequate proof that the child is yours then we have no choice but to take him in," Karone replied as she gazed out the window. "I want to meet her and tell her this to her face." Karone stood up and went down the stairs.

After having the talk with her, Karone came back upstairs. "She has agreed to bring the child by tomorrow so we can meet him. If I think he looks even remotely like you, that is it, we take him no questions asked. If he doesn't, then I will ask for a genetic match test before I let you refuse to take him in," Karone replied.


	25. epilogue

Chapter Twenty-Five

Six years later, at the tenth anniversary of the end of the war, all the Astro Rangers got together for a cookout at the park on KO-35 where a statue was being dedicated to them.

The families included Ashley and Andros with their three kids. Just as Andros had predicted, Nisan had survived and had grown strong and was following in his father's footsteps. Nadra was now an eight year old, and very smart for her year in school. Rhea was nine and was still a scheming little trickster; in fact, a week didn't go by that Ashley didn't find a rubber spider or something of the sort in the sugar bowl. The pranks were of a variety but for the most part they were harmless fun that had Ashley laughing after she had gotten over her shock. Ashley had decided to stop having children after Nisan's near fatal birth, although she had confided in Cassie that she longed for another child.

Zhane and Karone had four kids, including Omaid, who had indeed been ruled Zhane's biological son; in fact, he looked just like Zhane. He liked nothing more than fooling around with his 'cousin' Rhea, seeing as they were about the same age. Charna had passed away about a week after Zhane took Omaid in and he made Omaid understand who his mother really was, even though Karone loved him and treated him just like her own son. Having Omaid had helped Zhane realize just how much he had avoided his past as Ciarán since the war had ended, and while he was glad for the fact he was able to put that behind him, he made an effort to acknowledge his past.

The other three kids were Kiran, who took after Zhane with her artistic ability, and a set of fraternal twins, Atsu and Kulwa. The two kids only looked like siblings and that made Zhane very happy. Kulwa looked more like Zhane with her hair being the same whitish blonde and Atsu looked like his mother, giving them two boys and two girls. Zhane and Karone were trying for another child because the two of them wanted a large family.

Cassie and TJ had one child, Kaylee, who was an adorable girl of six with her dark skin and her eyes slanted, giving her a very unique face. Kaylee was very inquisitive and couldn't wait to learn to read. Her favorite pastime was to ask questions about what words meant in her story books.

Carlos had finally settled down and married a young woman who was pregnant with their first child while he was attending this get together, however she was not there. She wasn't aware of his past as a Power Ranger, and he wasn't going to change that. He had moved away from Angel Grove to try to maintain that.

They were all happy and healthy and that was all anyone could ask for. All people could hope for was that the group of them would stay that way till they got together like this to meet for the twentieth anniversary.

*** Can you believe that it has been ten years since Power rangers in Space was on? ****


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